Death Of A Conspiracy
by marine-machine
Summary: After a series of difficult cases following Kate's death, Gibbs has a hard time coping with the stress. Gibbs is confused and doesn't know whats real.....Ch 28 FINALLY UP! OMG!
1. Chapter 1

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I am merely borrowing them. Some of the characters you don't recognise are mine though!

Author's Note: I'm not really sure where I'm going with this at the moment, but decided to post it anyway. Please tell me what you think so I can decide whether ornot to continue...

A huge thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

* * *

Tony frowned and looked at his watch again. Gibbs was late… ? Tony grunted and raising an eyebrow at McGee, who looked like he hadn't slept at all in the last week, looking just as Tony felt. Technically, that's how Tony should look, seeing as he'd been framed for murder just a few days ago. McGee raised his eyebrows and left in the direction of the head. 

"Where's Agent Gibbs?" Jen asked, walking into the bullpen

"Right here, Madame Director," Gibbs replied from behind her, before sitting at his desk

"Jethro, I've told everybody here not to call me that," Jen responded tersely

"Or you'll do what, _Jen_?" Gibbs snapped

"Special Agent Gibbs, a word with you in my office?" Jen asked, but it was more of a command

Gibbs tilted his head to the side and glared at her. Tony looked back and forth between the two like it was a tennis match; the tension was thick enough to cut a slice off. Then, the phone rang. Gibbs glared a moment longer before answering; he nodded a few times than hung up.

"Gonna have to pass on that lecture, _Madame Director_," Gibbs informed Jen, then addressed his agents as he walked out of the bullpen, "DiNozzo, gas up the van, Kate, get Ducky,"

Tony dropped his bag and stared after his boss, his mouth agape. McGee chose that moment to walk back into the bullpen and frowned at Tony.

"What're you waiting for, DiNozzo? A written invite?" Gibbs growled from the elevator

McGee glanced between Gibbs and Tony, quickly figuring out that they had a case, "Tony, you're gonna start catching flies,"

Tony closed his mouth and looked and McGee with a slightly distraught expression on his face, then morphed back into something resembling Tony, "Probie, tell Ducky we have a case, and find out where the hell Ziva is,"

"She's taken a personal day," Jen informed him, who was still in the bullpen, glaring after Gibbs

"Does Gibbs know?" Tony asked

"He doesn't need to," Jen replied, walking back to her office

* * *

Tony stretched and yawned, pressing 'print' on his report. The case had simply been a suicide, not that suicides were simple. But there wasn't the usual run-around trying to find out the whom and why. Frowning, Tony recalled the event from this morning. Gibbs hadn't even noticed that he'd told their colleague, their _dead_ colleague, to do something. Or at least, if he did, he didn't say anything. Tony closed his eyes and tried to stop the tears that he knew he'd shed if he continued thinking about the wonderful, smart and charming woman known as Special Agent Caitlin Todd, formally of the Secret Service. Taking a few deep breaths, he got his tear-ducts under control and thought about how Gibbs had been acting strangely of late. It hadn't been anything noticeable, at least not to the casual observer. But Tony was not just a casual observer, he was a trained investigator, a damned good one and he noticed things. Sneaking a glance towards his boss, he saw Gibbs was staring at his monitor. Tony cocked his head, take this for example, to the casual observer, Gibbs was lost in work, but to Tony, Gibbs was somewhere off in space. Ever since that… _'incident'_ – cause he couldn't call it anything else – on the rooftop, Gibbs hadn't been the same. Subtle differences in his personality, like how he handled suspects, and his drive… He was more determined before, if he wanted something, he got it. He didn't let anything go. And then there was the 'other things'. He no longer checked his reports before signing them off and sending them upstairs, probably what 'Madame Director's' problem was this morning. And Tony wasn't just speculating, he had tested the theory, sending a botched report passed Gibbs and retrieving it before the Director had looked at it. 

At times, Gibbs could be really vague and stared into space more often, sure, he'd done it before, but now he did it a lot more often. Tony sometimes got the impression that Gibbs didn't know how to act around the rest of the team, just some of the things he'd done or said…

And then the event this morning…

"DiNozzo, am I going to be waiting all night for your report?" Gibbs barked

"Just finished it, boss," Tony replied.

Ducky had suggested that Gibbs go talk to somebody. They'd been told to see the in-house shrink after _the incident_ and they all had, except Gibbs. Well, that's a lie, Gibbs had gone, and stayed long enough to see what colour the couch was, then tell the shrink to forget it, he had more important things to do.

Tony handed his report to Gibbs, and went back to his desk.

"You can go home, Tony," Gibbs said as he sat at his desk

"I've got a few things left to do, boss," Tony protested

"No, go home, get some sleep. We don't need the whole team to stay up," Gibbs replied, turning back to his screen

Dismissed. Tony thought as he got up. To the casual observer, Gibbs was being sincere…sincere? The word isn't in his vocabulary. Gibbs was concerned…and maybe wanted some space… So, until someone persuaded Gibbs to see somebody or something, they were stuck with their 'new' boss…

* * *

McGee turned over and put his arm around Abby, sighing. He'd very nearly lost all of this. He recalled how he felt when he found out the man he'd shot was a cop. A shiver ran up his spine, causing him to tightly close his eyes, trying to keep out the unwelcome thoughts. After a while, he opened one of his eyes and looked at the clock, groaning inwardly. He'd been lying awake for hours just, thinking. 

"Timothy, you're thinking is keeping me awake," Abby mumbled

"Sorry, Abs," McGee replied, sitting up

"Where are ya going?" Abby asked, grabbing his hand

"To try to sleep on the couch, or maybe…" McGee replied

"No, you're not gonna play games at this time of night," Abby interrupted, knowing what he was thinking, "Come back here,"

"Abs, I don't…" McGee responded

"Now, McGee!" Abby snapped in her best Gibbs voice

McGee sighed and snuggled down, closing his eyes again…

* * *

Tony watched as Gibbs arrived late again. He'd been half an hour late yesterday, but today took the cake, one hour and three quarters late for work. All through the week since Probie had killed that cop, Gibbs had been late. And that wasn't the only thing, during their last case; Gibbs had asked Kate to question a few suspects. Thankfully Tony had been the only witness. But he'd done it twice; day before yesterday he'd asked Tony why Kate was late again. McGee had almost passed out, going as white as a ghost. Tony clenched his jaw; he really needed to think of a better way to describe how white the young agent had been. Ziva had merely raised her eyebrow and said something in a language nobody understood. 

Gibbs sat down at his desk and frowned, then glared at Tony.

"Problem, boss?" Tony asked, confused

"If this is some kind of joke, DiNozzo…" Gibbs threatened

"Is what some kind of joke?" Tony asked, glancing at McGee, who sunk lower in his chair

"Where the hell is my other computer?" Gibbs asked

Tony looked at his desk and saw the two he had, "Ah, both of them are there boss,"

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, "My other computer, DiNozzo. The one finding out who that bastard is,"

Tony widened his eyes, perhaps it was time to call Ducky, "Ari?" Tony whispered

"What!" Gibbs snapped, getting up to stand in-front of Tony's desk, "You mean, you knew who he was all this time, and you didn't say anything!"

Tony stood up on his jelly legs and leveled his eyes at Gibbs, "I found out the same time you did, boss. And that was at least a year or two ago,"

"DiNozzo, that is not…" Gibbs snapped

"Boss, remember the rooftop? Do you remember that?" Tony interrupted sadly

"DiNozzo, if you don't explain…" Gibbs responded angrily

"Boss, Kate was…" Tony interrupted again

"And why isn't she here yet, DiNozzo?" Gibbs interrupted

"Agent Gibbs, Agent Todd is dead," Ziva said from behind him

Gibbs spun around, "And who the hell are you?"

"Officer Ziva David," Ziva replied

"She filled Kate's place," McGee supplied when Gibbs gave her a blank look

Gibbs glared at them all, then stepped back, "I'm getting coffee, I'm going to forget this happened. When I get back I expect everything to be back to normal! I want Kate in here now! And you," he turned to Ziva, "Gone,"

The agents stared at Gibbs' back as he left the bullpen.

* * *

That's it for Chapter 1!...Hope you liked it! Please review! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Author's Note: Please tell me what you think so I can decide whether or not to continue...I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with this…

Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them

And a humungous thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

* * *

"Anthony, what is so urgent that it couldn't wait until I finished up in autopsy?" Ducky asked as he entered the lab

Tony glanced at McGee who was sitting on a stool next to Abby, trying to decide whether he'd imagined what had just happened.

"Yeah, and why have you taken over my lab? And what did you do to McGee?" Abby asked accusingly

"I think Agent Gibbs is losing his marbles," Ziva interrupted

"Trust you to get that right," Tony commented dryly

Ducky frowned at the two agents, "What makes you think that?"

"A whole load of stuff, but most recently the fact that he keeps…he thinks that…and then the computer…and he can't remember…" Tony huffed, trying to get his words together

"Anthony, is everything alright?" Ducky asked, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder

"No, it's not. Gibbs has gone cuckoo, he, um, he thinks…" Tony closed his eyes, "He keeps referring to Kate, today he asked where she was and why she was late. Before today it was just, name-drops, but…"

Ducky hummed, looking concerned, "I see, and when did this start?"

"Just after Tony was realised from lockup, and got worse when McGee…" Ziva replied

"But the general attitude change has been a while," Tony interrupted

"Yes, since around the time Ari Haswari was killed," Ducky agreed

"What should we do Duck-man? I mean, I heard this new therapy for…" Abby began

"No, Jethro wouldn't respond to something like that," Ducky interrupted, "I think we should let him go for a while, see how far he goes with it. Perhaps he will come to terms with his loss,"

"But we all lost her, Ducky," McGee commented, confusion on his face

"Yes, my dear boy, you are quite correct. But Jethro didn't lose just a friend or colleague, you see, Timothy, he loved her," Ducky explained

"But he never acted on it, he never told her," Tony said sadly

"He was afraid of rejection…" Ducky commented

"Not like she would have rejected him," Tony interrupted, then sighed, leaning against the wall, "The feeling was mutual,"

"How do you know this?" Ziva asked

"Because, Ziva, I've seen people in love before. Besides, Kate confessed to me how she felt about him," Tony answered

"Must've been a cold day in hell for …" Ziva quipped

"Hey! That's my partner you're talking about here!" Tony snapped, "We were good friends…"

"That's not how it looked to me, you were always…" McGee interrupted

"Yeah, so we fought a bit and bantered with each other. But that's all it was, Probie, banter," Tony interrupted. McGee rolled his eyes as Tony continued, "And we hung out after work, caught a few movies, neither of us had any ideas about wanting more from the relationship, we were good buddies…"

"Okay, enough," Ducky interrupted, then sighed, "Try to keep out of Jethro's way, just let him run through his process…"

"What about me?" Ziva asked

"I could always use a hand in autopsy, or Abby may need some help here in…" Ducky suggested

"I'm not going to hide from him, Doctor Mallard," Ziva interrupted

"And then there's the fact that he expects Kate to be here," Tony reminded them

"Hmmm, just tell him Kate is off sick," Ducky replied

"And if we get a case?" McGee asked

"Well, we'll need to investigate it, just make sure that if he does anything, to recheck it, his mind may not be entirely on the job," Ducky responded

"How long do you expect this to take, Doctor?" Ziva asked

"How long will what take?" a voice from the door to autopsy came

Ducky turned around to see Gibbs leaning against the door, glaring at Ziva.

"And what are you still doing here, Officer David?" Gibbs growled

"Jethro, Officer David was assigned to the team to fill in for Kate," Ducky said cautiously

"Kate's sick?" Gibbs asked, sounding concerned

"You could say that," Tony mumbled

"Is it serious, Duck?" Gibbs asked

"Yeah, Gibbs, it is. It's terminal!" Tony snapped, then stormed out of the lab

"Duck?" Gibbs asked, looking a bit lost

"Anthony's just had a bad day, Jethro," Ducky replied

Gibbs straightened up and narrowed his eyes at Ducky, but before he could say anything his cell rang. Without looking away from Ducky, he answered the cell and eventually hung up.

"Get your gear, we have a case," Gibbs said, eventually looking away from the Doctor

"Ah, I'll go get Mr. Palmer," Ducky responded, wandering to the door of the lab

"Ducky, there's no need. There isn't a body. We're needed to help the FBI apprehend a suspect," Gibbs replied, walking into the elevator and holding it open for McGee and Ziva

* * *

"Why are we helping the Feds, boss?" Tony whispered as they made their way to the far-side of the warehouse

"The suspect murdered three naval officers, and has been on our most-wanted list for a few months now. The Feds got info on the guy's whereabouts a few hours ago," Gibbs replied

"So, shouldn't it be our jurisdiction?" Tony asked, flattening himself on the ground behind a bush as a figure walked past the window

Gibbs watched the figure then stood, crouching and ran to the next tree. As Tony joined him, Gibbs replied, "Guy also killed five civilians, including a Fed who was undercover. Guy got away before they moved in on 'im,"

Tony silently cursed as Gibbs told command that they were in place. Gibbs turned back to look at Tony, "You ready?"

"Always," Tony replied

Gibbs turned back to the warehouse and waited for the okay to go in.

_All units move in! Go! Go! Go! _Command told them over their headphones

Gibbs and Tony ran from behind the tree to the warehouse. Gibbs kicked open the door as Tony entered and checked the immediate area, "Clear," They made their way upstairs, carefully, and checked two of the rooms, both of which were empty. They stopped outside the last. Tony kicked open the door as Gibbs entered.

Tony watched as Gibbs glanced around the room, then held his gun higher, "Freeze! Put the weapon down!"

Tony entered in time to hear the gun-shot and a gasp from Gibbs. Time seemed to slow down, and Tony saw and heard everything in slow motion. Tony and Gibbs shot the man simultaneously, two double-shots. Two hit him in the chest, over his heart, whilst the other two hit him in the head. Tony watched as the bullets flew across the room and landed in his body, blood splattering slightly after the moment of impact. He watched as the man's body spasmed from being hit and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as the man fell. Then he heard his breath, he was breathing hard. That's when he heard a groan. A groan which came from Gibbs. Then, reality came back and time went back to normal. People were all talking at once over his headphones. He looked at Gibbs, as the older agent fell. Tony quickly moved to catch him, easing him to the ground.

"Boss," Tony said, "Where…?"

Gibbs groaned and tried to get up.

"Boss, stay. Where are you hit?" Tony asked

"Shoulder," Gibbs ground out, closing his eyes

Tony looked at Gibbs' shoulder to see blood coming through his shirt, past where Gibbs grasped it.

"Boss, stay with me," Tony told him, applying more pressure to his shoulder

"I'm not going anywhere, Tony," Gibbs replied, opening his eyes

Tony looked up as he heard people running along the corridor to the room and entered it, guns still drawn. Two men went straight to the guy they'd taken down, whilst another called for a medic over the two-way radio.

"Help's on the way, boss," Tony told him

Gibbs nodded and closed his eyes again.

"Gibbs," Tony called

Gibbs opened his eyes, "What!"

"Keep your eyes open," Tony told him

"I don't intend to pass out, Tony," Gibbs grumbled, "I'm not the passing-out type,"

"I bet you're not," Tony responded, "You just felt like going to sleep cause you …Ow!" Tony exclaimed rubbing the back of his head

Gibbs lowered his arm, ignoring the shooting pains that slapping Tony had caused, "I'm not gonna pass-out, Tony. We clear?"

"Yes, Boss," Tony replied

Gibbs looked up as the medic came in and knelt next to him. The medic asked him questions, which Gibbs answered, or Tony did when Gibbs lied. Eventually the medic and Tony helped him stand up and walk out to the ambulance.

By the time they got to the ambulance, Gibbs was breathing heavily.

"You know, boss, you coulda just asked us to stop whilst you caught your breath," Tony commented

"No need," Gibbs replied, sitting down, "I'm fine,"

"Yeah, so you keep telling me," Tony replied as the medic put a makeshift bandage on Gibbs' shoulder

Gibbs turned to the medic, "Slap him,"

The medic smiled and continued working.

Tony took a step back, "Well, I'll see you at the hospital, boss,"

* * *

That's it for chapter 2!...Hope you liked it! Please review, tell me what you think! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Author's Note: Please tell me what you think so I can decide whether or not to continue...I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with this…

Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them

And a huge thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

* * *

Ducky walked back into the waiting room and watched the team stand up. He could see the unspoken question on their faces.

"He's doing really well. The bullet lodged itself in a bit of muscle, it missed his shoulder blade and major blood vessels," Ducky told them

The group collectively sighed in relief.

"Did it do much damage?" Tony asked

"No more than expected. He won't be able to use his arm much over the next few weeks though. I've asked his doctor to keep him in overnight for observation…" Ducky answered

"So, it is serious?" Abby asked

"No, my dear. It's just a precaution," Ducky replied

"Can we see him?" McGee asked

"Of course," Ducky replied, gesturing them to follow him, "Just a quick visit,"

Abby and McGee went in first, followed shortly after by Ziva and Tony.

"How are you feeling, Agent Gibbs?" Ziva asked

Gibbs warily looked at Ziva, "I'm fine,"

"Good to hear," Ziva replied, looking around the room, feeling uncomfortable

Gibbs looked to Tony and gave him a half-smile, "Abby asked if she could keep the bullet they took outta my shoulder,"

Tony grinned, "Another one to put to her collection,"

"I think I might wait outside," Ziva interrupted

"Yeah, and could you send Kate in?" Gibbs asked

Ziva stopped in her tracks on the way to the door, then turned around, "She's not here, Agent Gibbs,"

Gibbs frowned, "She didn't even want to see me after I've been shot?"

"She said you're strong enough to fight it off, it's only a graze," Tony told him, through clenched teeth

"I don't care, I thought… I don't care how bad her damn cold is, I want her in here now!" Gibbs snapped

"Agent Gibbs, Kate is dead," Ziva told him

Gibbs glared at her, "Kate is not dead! I would know if she was, and she's not! You hear me! Now, get out of this room before I …!"

"Gibbs, relax," Tony interrupted, putting a restraining hand on his good shoulder as Ziva walked out

Gibbs glared at her until she left, then lay back as she disappeared from sight. He looked up at Tony, "I don't like her,"

Tony grinned, "Yeah, I don't either," Tony sighed, "But she's right, you know,"

"Not you too, Tony," Gibbs said accusingly

"Boss, Kate died almost a year ago now," Tony said, reluctantly

"No, she's not dead," Gibbs protested, shaking her head, "I would know if she was dead. And I know that she's not. I can feel it in my gut,"

"Boss, we saw her die, we were there. We both got…blood on our faces. We …we saw her in autopsy," Tony argued, "We went to the funeral, saw her get buried,"

"No, we didn't! She did not die! She is not dead! I didn't give her permission to die! She wouldn't break her promise!..." Gibbs asserted, getting agitated

"What's going on?" Ducky asked, coming in with a nurse

"She promised me!" Gibbs almost shouted

"Jethro, you need to calm down," Ducky said assertively

"No! I will not just sit here as… What are you doing!" Gibbs asked the nurse

"You need to relax, Agent Gibbs. Your body can't take the stress this soon…" the nurse explained, injecting a syringe into his side

"I'm fine! I don't need to be treated like a child! I want to see Kate! Now! No more games!..." Gibbs interrupted

"Jethro, Caitlin in no longer with us," Ducky interrupted

Gibbs breathed in deeply and stared at Ducky, "No, she's not dead. She's not…" Gibbs stopped to swallow and look around the room as the sedative took effect, "She's not dead…"

Ducky and Tony exchanged glances as Gibbs finally relaxed and fell asleep. The nurse gave them a sad smile before making a few notes on his chart and leaving the room.

"What are we going to do, Ducky?" Tony asked

"I really don't know, Anthony," Ducky replied

* * *

Gibbs woke up feeling groggy. His head felt like it was filled with fluff and everything was moving strangely slow. Opening his eyes, he looked out the window and found it was dark outside. He let out a small groan and rubbed his good hand through his hair, then turned over. As he did, he almost leapt out of bed at the sight that greeted him. Kate was sitting on the chair, watching him. Blinking a few times, Gibbs got the chance to look Kate over. Well, she looked in good health, that was a good thing….right?

Gibbs smiled, "Kate,"

Kate returned the smile, "Jethro,"

Gibbs did a mental double-take, _Jethro?_ "Everybody thinks you're dead,"

"Yes, but you know the truth," Kate replied

"Yeah, but they don't believe me, they think I'm insane," Gibbs responded

"We both know that's true," Kate said with a smile

Gibbs laughed, "I never pretended not to be,"

They lapsed into silence again and Gibbs took the opportunity to properly check out his agent.

"You checking me out, Jethro?" Kate asked

Gibbs looked back up into Kate's eyes and smirked, "You got a problem with that, Katie?"

Kate laughed and shook her head.

Gibbs sighed and frowned, "Where have you been?"

"I can't tell you that," Kate replied

"How did you manage to make everybody believe you were dead?" Gibbs asked

"You must have been drugged or something," Kate suggested

Gibbs frowned, "You don't know?"

Kate grinned, "Yeah, I do,"

"Well of course you do, you helped cover it up," Gibbs responded

"How's Tony?" Kate asked

"He's ok, he misses you," Gibbs replied, "We all miss you,"

Kate gave him a small smile, "I know you do,"

"We want you to come back," Gibbs yawned, "Sorry, I'm not tired, I just…"

"Never apologize, Jethro. You should get some sleep. You've had a rough day," Kate said

"Will you be here when I wake up?" Gibbs asked

"I need to go, Jethro," Kate said apologetically

"Don't go, Kate," Gibbs said quietly

"I can't stay. But I will be back," Kate said as she got up

"When?" Gibbs asked

"I don't know. Semper Fi, Jethro," Kate said, kissing him softly on his cheek

"Wait, don't go, Kate," Gibbs protested as Kate left the room, stopping at the door to give him a small wave, "Don't go," Gibbs whispered as he fell asleep

* * *

That's it for chapter 3!...Hope you liked it! Please review, tell me what you think and whether or not I should continue... 


	4. Chapter 4

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Author's Note: Please tell me what you think so I can decide whether or not to continue...I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with this…

Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them

And a humungous thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gibbs woke up with a start, grabbing somebody's hand as he sat up. Gibbs opened his eyes to see Ducky by the side of his bed.

"Jethro, my hand…" Ducky prompted

Gibbs released Ducky's hand and sat up properly, "Is Kate still here?"

"Still, Jethro?" Ducky asked

"Yeah, she visited me last night," Gibbs replied

"Jethro, we've been over this…" Ducky started

"She _was here_, Ducky. We talked…you can look on the security camera or whatever, she was here," Gibbs interrupted

"Hmph," Ducky hummed

"You don't believe me," Gibbs said

"No, unfortunately I don't. I've always wished for one of my patients to talk back to me, but it still has yet to happen," Ducky replied, "As for one of my patients to actually visit me…"

"She was here!" Gibbs exclaimed

"And you talked to her?" Ducky asked

"Yeah, and she talked back," Gibbs replied indignantly

"I don't suppose you asked her how she managed to make us all believe she died?" Ducky asked

Gibbs sighed, "Yeah, I did,"

"And?" Ducky prompted

"She didn't tell me. She said we may have been drugged or something," Gibbs replied with a huff

"Ok, what about where she has been hiding since the incident?" Ducky asked, "Or indeed, why she is still hiding? Ari is dead,"

"She told me she couldn't tell me where she had been. And I didn't ask her why," Gibbs responded

"So she told you nothing you didn't already know," Ducky deduced, "Jethro, you've been under a lot of stress. Especially recently with Anthony being framed for murder and Timothy shooting an officer…" Ducky stopped and held his hand up at Gibbs, who was about to protest, "Please, Jethro, let me finish. The medication you were given for your injury was strong, and given the condition you were already in, it's highly likely that you would hallucinate. Jethro, Caitlin was not here last night. She was a fabrication from your imagination caused by too much stress and too many drugs,"

Gibbs sighed, and played with the front of the sheets, "She seemed so real…she kissed my cheek," Gibbs said, putting his hand over his cheek and softly rubbing it

Ducky gave him a sad smile, and pulled the chair over to sit in.

Gibbs looked at Ducky and gave him a small smile, "She called me 'Jethro'. It just…Could you look at the security tapes anyway?"

"Of course," Ducky replied

"Am I losing my mind, Duck?" Gibbs asked

Ducky smiled, "No, Jethro, you're not. The mere fact that you asked that question indicates that on some level you are still sane. I won't say that this sort of occurrence is normal, but then, it isn't entirely abnormal either. I have heard and seen many cases similar to this over the years…"

"That doesn't really give me much confidence, Ducky," Gibbs said with a smile, "You've pretty much seen everything,"

Ducky smiled back, "Not _everything_. But I have seen a lot,"

"Yeah, I know," Gibbs replied with a smirk, "So, when can I get outta here?"

"As soon as you get dressed. The papers have already been signed, I figured you would want to be out of here as soon as you could," Ducky responded

"And you didn't tell me before?" Gibbs asked, irritated that he could have been out of the hospital sooner

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Gibbs sat on his couch and closed his eyes, glad to be home.

"Jethro," Ducky said as he sat down on the other side of the couch, "I'm going to have to leave now; I'm wanted back at the office to do the autopsy,"

Gibbs frowned, "How long till I'm back on duty?"

"A few days at least. You need to let yourself heal," Ducky told him

Gibbs grunted and put his head against the couch.

"Anthony and myself checked the security cameras," Ducky said

Sitting up straighter, Gibbs looked at his friend, "And?"

"Jethro, nobody came to your room apart from the nurses," Ducky replied

"Maybe she took out the camera from when she was there," Gibbs suggested

"None of the tapes were missing," Ducky protested, "Jethro, you have to let her go,"

Gibbs looked at the ceiling, trying to find comfort in it, "And what if I can't. Ducky, I don't think she's dead,"

"Yes, I got that part. But how do you explain what you and Anthony saw on that rooftop? Or my performing an autopsy on her? Or …?" Ducky asked

Gibbs shook his head, "Stop! You don't need to remind me. I just…" he sighed, "I just feel it in my gut, that it was an elaborate hoax,"

Ducky sighed, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Jethro, I think you need to see somebody,"

"A shrink?" Gibbs asked, raising his eyebrow

"It might help," Ducky suggested

"Not gonna happen, Duck. You know how I feel about them," Gibbs replied

"Yes, but you're having trouble with this and I believe…" Ducky protested

"I'm not seeing a shrink Ducky!" Gibbs exclaimed, getting up from the couch

Ducky sighed and got up from the couch, following him, "Jethro, you need to talk to somebody about this…"

"I don't need a shrink!" Gibbs exclaimed

"…this is serious. You're hallucinating and …" Ducky continued, ignoring Gibbs' interruption

"I wasn't hallucinating!" Gibbs interrupted, making some coffee

"You think your subordinate who died in the line of duty is still alive!" Ducky exclaimed

"She is still alive!" Gibbs shouted, "I saw her!"

"Jethro," Ducky said, taking a deep breath, "You need help. I know this isn't easy for you, but I believe if you don't talk to somebody you may…"

"What! Blow up! I know what I saw, Duck," Gibbs replied, "She _was_ there,"

"Would you at least just humor me, Jethro?" Ducky asked, "Go and talk to a psychiatrist, and I mean _actually_ talk about this, not just listening to what they say, or the two of you watching the clock. Please?"

"I don't like shrinks, Duck," Gibbs replied, "And I think the feeling is mutual,"

"Well, with the way you speak to them and treat them, I'm not surprised," Ducky replied, "Just sit through one session for me,"

Gibbs sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I know what I saw, Duck. I can't explain it, but I know that she didn't die,"

Ducky placed his hand on Gibbs' shoulder, "I know this has been hard for you, Jethro, it's been hard for all of us. But you had a special connection with young Caitlin, and it's only natural that you should grieve. However what you're going through now, is not,"

"I don't wanna do it," Gibbs told him, leaning against the breakfast bar

"Jethro," Ducky sighed, "Ok, if you won't do it for me, then do it for Kate,"

Gibbs clenched his jaw and looked away, "Ducky…"

"An hour of your time, Jethro," Ducky said, "I'll make the appointment for you,"

Gibbs sighed, "Fine, but only an hour,"

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Tony looked up from his report as he heard McGee chuckle. McGee typed something on his computer, smirking to himself. Tony frowned and continued watching the younger agent.

"Find something funny there, McGee?" Tony asked

McGee looked at Tony and went bright red, "Ah, no, I'm just…talking to Abby. She said something funny,"

Tony raised his eyebrows with a grin, the younger man's behavior making him interested, "Yeah? What did she say?"

McGee managed to go even redder, "Ah, she said…I mean, we were discussing some ideas,"

"About?" Tony asked

"Ah, you know Tony, it's really none of your business," McGee responded

"Oh, come on, Probie, you can tell me," Tony told him, getting up from his desk

"Not gonna happen," McGee replied, closing the page before Tony reached his desk

Tony raised his eyebrow at McGee, then looked thoughtfully at him, "Ok, lemme guess,"

"I'm not going to tell you," McGee told him

"That's ok, you don't have to," Tony replied, "Ok, so it's something embarrassing – you didn't want me to know about it. It's somewhat personal. It's something you and Abby have in common, or at least, you'd be doing together…"

"You're not going to guess, Tony," McGee said

"Something to do with sex," Tony concluded, "And knowing Abby, some kind of sex toy…"

Ziva laughed, "Of course you would think it has something to do with sex. You know, Tony, not everything is connected to sex,"

Tony rounded on Ziva, "Oh really? Ok, maybe not everything, but most things do. The clothes and cosmetics people wear is to make them look better. Why? They want to look good. Why? They want people to notice them…which in a lot cases leads to sex. I won't even go into advertising, all I say on that is 'sex sells', so that pretty much rules out the media. Now shops…"

"Okay, what about our job?" Ziva asked

"Well you treat people differently depending on how they look, whether or not you mean to. Our perceptions of the people we meet…" Tony answered

"Have you all finished your reports yet?" a voice came from behind him

"Not yet, Director," Tony replied as he turned around, "They'll be on your desk by the end of the day,"

"How's Jethro?" Jen asked

"Ducky took him home this morning, his shoulder will need time to heal though," Tony responded

"Ok, well I'd like you all in conference room three. I'd like you to attend the debrief on this operation, the FBI are already in there," Jen told them, before walking off

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That's it for chapter 4!...Hope you liked it! Please review, tell me what you think


	5. Chapter 5

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Author's Note: Please tell me what you think so I can decide whether or not to continue...I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with this…

Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them

And a humungous thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

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Gibbs walked into the dimly lit bar and scanned the room, mentally checking for any sign of danger. As he disregarding each of the occupants, his eyes eventually landed on the person he was looking for. Smiling, he walked to the table and sat down.

The person looked up at him and smiled, "Gibbs," she managed to sound surprised, "Are you following me?"

Gibbs smirked, "Nope, that would mean I didn't know where you were going,"

"So, you've followed me before," Kate stated, "Or were you stalking me?"

"Semantics," Gibbs shrugged, "It's all the same thing,"

"No, the intention is different. If you were following me, it's for my protection – which I don't need by the way, I'm capable of protecting myself" Kate responded

"Sure you are," Gibbs agreed

"And if you were stalking me, it's because you have an interest in me, usually a sexual interest," Kate continued, ignoring his interruption, "So, tell me, were you following me or stalking me?"

Gibbs frowned slightly at the change in her attitude, there was a frosty glint in her eye and he knew he had to tread carefully. Taking a deep breath, he mentally prepared for any eventuality, "Which would you prefer?" he asked quietly

Kate frowned, "What?"

"I, um, Kate, I like you, a lot. I would say that I fell for you the moment I met you, but I know how corny that sounds, and I'm not one to believe in love at first sight, but…" he paused to collect his thoughts, "When we were on Air Force One, I felt something between us, and it only grew once I hired you. Hell, on that sub, when we were pushed together because of the emergency blow…" his voice ran off as he smiled at the memory

"You hired me because of my looks?" Kate asked incredulously

Gibbs frowned, feeling the air go cold, "No, I…"

"I thought you hired me for my skills," Kate almost growled

"I hired you for your instincts, I liked how you handled yourself," Gibbs replied, "But I didn't come here to discuss this. Kate, I …" Gibbs paused, wishing he had some liquid courage, "I think I love you,"

Gibbs' confession was met with silence. Searching Kate's eyes, Gibbs waited for an answer, anything that would tell him how she felt. When seconds turned into minutes, he dropped his eyes to the floor and quashed the feeling in his stomach. As he stood up, he deliberately avoided looking into Kate's eyes. With every ounce of dignity he had left, he stood up straight and lifted his eyes to meet hers, "Nothing changes at work, just…forget I was here,"

"Just what do expect me to say, _boss_!" Kate spat at him, standing up to level out the height difference

"Nothing," he replied dejectedly

"I don't feel the same way about you," Kate responded harshly, "I don't love you, I can only just stand you. You are _not_ my type! Why would I want an old beaten up ex-marine like you!"

Gibbs looked at Kate, stunned, feeling as if she'd grown another head. "I…I just…" he tried to form a sentence

"Just get out of here," Kate growled. When he didn't move immediately, Kate gave him a hard push towards the door, causing him to fall over, "Now!" she barked

Gibbs looked up uncomprehendingly, still trying to get over the shock. Suddenly, Kate was on top of him, hitting him…

Gibbs sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. Looking around the room, he scanned the area before deeming it safe. He took deep breaths, returning his breathing to normal. Gibbs groaned and swung his legs over the side of the couch. It was still light outside, so he must've fallen asleep soon after Ducky had dropped him off.

Looking to the clock confirmed his suspicions, it was only five o'clock. Wiping the cooling sweat from his forehead, he pushed himself to his feet and retrieved a glass of water from the kitchen. Seating himself on the couch again, he took a long drink from the glass, feeling the liquid make its way down his throat. Just as he was about to fall asleep again, his doorbell rang. Growling at the door, he turned over and tried to ignore whoever wanted to see him.

"Go away!" Gibbs shouted when the person rang the doorbell again

"Well, they _are _persistent" he muttered as they continued to harass him

When they resorted to banging his door, he decided it was probably important and rolled off the couch to his feet.

"Somebody'd better be dead," Gibbs grumbled to his visitor through the door as he approached

When he opened the door, however, nobody was there. But he did hear somebody scatter off.

"Hey!" Gibbs barked, running off after them

As he got to the corner of his street, he saw them take off down another road. Grumbling he chased after them. However when he went down the road, he lost track of the person.

"Dammit," Gibbs swore, aggravated that he hadn't put shoes on before running across the block, and because the movements had jarred his shoulder, "Bastards," he muttered, turning back the way he came.

As he walked back, he heard sounds of somebody following him. Turning around quickly, he tried to see them, but in the dying light, and with his eyesight, he couldn't see anybody. Frowning, he started walking again, concentrating on the sounds behind him. Gibbs looked behind him again and saw nothing. Frowning, he turned around and kept walking, slower than before as he kept his attention solely focused on the sounds, the twigs breaking and the footsteps. He was now certain somebody was following him. As he got to the next street, he quickly ducked around it and waited for the person to come around. As he saw their head appear, he quickly grabbed them and had them in a headlock before they could make a sound.

"Who are you?" Gibbs demanded

"Gibbs, let me go," a familiar voice said

Gibbs released his grip and let the person up. His mouth dropped open as he realised who it was. Even in the harsh light of the corner, he could recognize her. He could recognize her anywhere.

"Kate?" he said

Kate smiled, "Hi,"

He frowned, then smiled, "Everybody thinks you're dead,"

"I know, that was the whole point, Gibbs," Kate replied, then frowned, "You don't seem as shocked as I expected you to be,"

Gibbs smiled, "I never truly believed you were gone. Well, something like that anyway. The team thinks I've lost my mind,"

Kate smiled, "Yeah, well I would too in their position,"

"Can you tell me what's going on?" Gibbs asked, "Please?"

Kate smiled, remembering the first time Gibbs had said 'please' to her, probably the first time he'd said 'please' to anybody, "Yes, but not here. Hell, I'm not even supposed to be here, it's too dangerous,"

"Don't go just yet," Gibbs said, hating the pleading tone in his voice

"If I had my choice, I'd never go," Kate replied, "How is everyone?"

"They're okay. Everybody misses you; the team doesn't feel the same…" Gibbs replied

"How about you? How are you?" Kate asked

Gibbs swallowed past the lump in his throat, "I'm coping. Just. I want…need you back,"

"I'll be coming back Gibbs, I promise," Kate replied, then looked over her shoulder

"Don't go," Gibbs told her, "I need to tell you something,"

Kate looked back at him, then smiled, "I know, Jethro, and I love you too,"

Gibbs opened his mouth, shocked for the second time in only a few minutes, "You knew?"

Kate smiled mischievously, then leaned in and gave him a small kiss.

Gibbs blinked then grinned, leaning in for another kiss, which quickly turned passionate as years of waiting, desperation and want took over. When they parted for breath, Kate pulled back, "We can't do this," she whispered, "Not now, I need to go,"

"Not yet, just a bit longer," Gibbs asked

Kate gave him a sad smile, "It's too dangerous, but I will be back,"

Gibbs pulled back a bit, then sighed sadly, "Nobody's gonna believe me when I tell them this,"

"That's the whole point," Kate replied

"You want people to think I'm insane?" Gibbs asked

"No, I don't want people to think I'm still alive, not yet anyway. You need to look further, and remember the mind sees what it wants to see," Kate responded

"When will I see you again?" Gibbs asked after pausing to think about what she'd said

"I don't know," Kate replied, "Just keep alert,"

"Always," Gibbs responded

"Goodbye, Jethro," Kate said, giving him another kiss, before eventually leaving

Gibbs watched her figure disappear down the street, before turning back the way he came.

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That's it for chapter 5!...Hope you liked it! PLease review, tell me what you think...


	6. Chapter 6

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Author's Note: Kinda a short chapter, but the next one should be up soon...

Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them

And a humungous thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

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"Ziva, what are you doing?" Tony asked, looking at her in disgust

"Cutting my toe-nails, Tony," Ziva replied, without looking up

"Do you have to do it here?" Tony asked

"Yes, Tony, I do. I was going to do it last night, but I was otherwise … how you say? occupied," Ziva replied

"I don't see why you have a problem with it, Tony, you used to do it all the time last year," McGee replied

Tony glared at him, "Don't you ever compare Ziva and myself like that again, Probie. Besides, that was different,"

"How?" McGee asked

"Don't you have some work to do, Probie?" Tony asked as his phone rang

McGee rolled his eyes and went back to looking over the cold case in front of him.

"Okay, grab your gear, we got a case. Ex-marine committed suicide," Tony announced, throwing keys to McGee "McGee, gas the truck, Ziva call Ducky,"

Ziva narrowed her eyes at Tony, "Gibbs didn't ..."

Tony glared at Ziva and leaned forwards on his desk, "Do not _even finish_ that thought. Gibbs _wouldn't_!"

McGee looked between the two, unsure what to do, then said hesitantly, "I'll go..get the truck,"

"You do that McGee," Tony replied, not looking away from Ziva

When the team arrived at the crime scene, McGee began taking pictures and sketching whilst Ziva bagged and tagged. Tony watched the two work for a moment, before heading to see the police officer he assumed was in charge.

"You the clown in charge of this circus?" Tony asked as he approached the cop

The officer turned to face him, straightening up, "Who the hell are you?"

"Special Agent DiNozzo, NCIS," Tony replied, showing his badge, "Who are you?"

"NCIS, never heard of them before…" the officer replied

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service," Tony interrupted, getting annoyed with the other man's tone

"Ah, you're a fed," the officer responded, then held out his hand, "Detective John Hooper, say I was wondering, how do you get into a service like the…NCSI…"

"For starters, you can get everybody out of my crime scene," Tony replied, ignoring his hand

"Now hang on just a second, what do you mean _your_ crime scene…?" Hooper asked

"Ex-marine, our jurisdiction," Tony interrupted

Hooper thought for a moment, "Ah hell, you can have him, it's only a suicide, less paperwork for me,"

Tony cocked an eyebrow at him and watched as he called all his men out. Sighing, Tony looked around the house and wondered if they'd be able to get a print that wasn't from one of the cops who'd just been traipsing through here. Rubbing his face, Tony knew it was going to be a long day…

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"Ducky!" Gibbs called as he walked into autopsy, supporting his injured arm protectively against his chest

Ducky looked up from an autopsy he was performing and frowned, "Jethro, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home, resting,"

"I was," Gibbs replied with a grin, frowning slightly as he peered at the marine on the table, "Suicide?"

Ducky walked infront of Gibbs and began leading him to the door, "You were resting until…?"

Gibbs turned around to look at him, "I saw Kate again, she said…"

"Not again, Jethro," Ducky sighed, interrupting him

"Duck, she was there. I wasn't hallucinating, I held her and…" Gibbs explained

"Do you really think Kate would have let you hold her? Have you considered that you are projecting your desires onto…" Ducky interrupted

"She tried to take me by surprise, I thought she was following me, so I ducked around a corner and grabbed her. I almost strangled her, Ducky," Gibbs replied, then sighed, "She _was_ there,"

"Okay, so what did she tell you that would make me believe you?" Ducky asked, "Anything that would indicate why we think she is dead,"

"Ducky, Boss," Tony greeted as he walked in with Ziva, "What have you got for me Duck?"

"Absolutely nothing," Gibbs agreed in response to Ducky's question, "She didn't want to tell me anything that might make anyone believe she was alive, it was too dangerous,"

"Huh?" Tony asked in confusion

"Jethro, you're just reasoning out…" Ducky explained

Tony and Ziva exchanged glances, listening to the two men arguing.

"She told me to look further; and to remember that 'the mind sees what it wants to see'" Gibbs interrupted

"And indeed your mind is seeing what you want to see, Jethro…" Ducky responded

Gibbs sighed, "Ducky, can I look at her autopsy report?"

"Jethro, just let her rest," Ducky asked

"Let who rest?" Jen asked, walking into autopsy

"Kate," Gibbs replied, without looking away from Ducky

"Why do you want to look at her autopsy report?" Jen asked, frowning

Gibbs finally turned to her, "Because I think she's still alive and I need proof of it,"

"Really, Gibbs, you may have loved Agent Todd, but this madness has to stop," Ziva commented

"What did you just say, Officer David?" Gibbs asked coldly

"Why do you think she's still alive, Jethro?" Jen asked

Gibbs sighed, looking back to Jen, "Because I saw her,"

"Really?" Jen asked, "Where and when?"

"Director Sheppard, Gibbs is just under a lot of stress at the moment and was hallucinating," Ziva said

"I have to agree, director," Ducky commented

"I think I'll decide that. Jethro, meet me in my office in ten minutes and make sure to bring coffee, you know how I like it," Jen replied, before walking off

"Jethro, I think you need some help," Ducky said quietly

Gibbs glared at his old friend, then at Ziva, "I'll deal with you two later, as for you DiNozzo, I'm disappointed you didn't back me up. Can I still trust you as my senior field agent?" Gibbs asked, standing in Tony's personal space

Tony leveled his gaze at the older man, trying to keep the hurt from appearing on his face and answered quietly, "You can always trust me, boss,"

Gibbs watched his younger agent for a bit longer, before walking off without another word.

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That's it for chapter 6!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Sorry about the delay, I had to change direction slightly...next chap should be up soon...


	7. Chapter 7

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou to all of your reviews, I really appreciate them

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for her fantastic work and support

* * *

Gibbs met the director in her office, carrying three cups of coffee.

"Who's the third coffee for?" Jen asked, sitting on one of the couches, gesturing to the other

"Me," Gibbs replied, as if it was obvious

Jen smiled, "Been cutting down on your coffee intake lately, Jethro?"

"That's what happens when you go to hospital, _Jen_," Gibbs said irritably

"Wow, got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Jen asked

"Nope. The couch only has one side, and that was this afternoon," Gibbs replied, "What are we going to do about Kate?"

"Well, why don't you fill me in on the situation?" Jen asked

Gibbs spent the next few minutes explaining his encounters with her and what had been said.

"So, what did the tapes at the hospital reveal?" Jen asked

"Nothing. Ducky and Tony looked over them for me. Nobody but the nurse came into my room," Gibbs replied with a sigh, "But I _know_ I saw her there, and again a few hours ago,"

Jen sighed, "You don't think it's too much stress that brought this on?"

Gibbs scoffed and took a long gulp of his coffee.

"Of course, you don't get stressed," Jen responded

"I don't _hallucinate_. Look are we done? I have work to do," Gibbs remarked

"If you find anything, let me know," Jen told him, resting her arm on his uninjured shoulder

Gibbs searched her eyes for a moment before nodding, then heading to the door

"Oh, one more thing, Jethro," Jen called

Gibbs walked back into the room, shoving his hand into his pocket.

"Ziva told me you've been less than nice to her, Jethro," Jen told him

"I don't have to be nice to her, Jen. She was your choice, and she's only here temporarily" Gibbs replied

"Even so, you should treat her better than you have been. You've been down right rude, Jethro" Jen said

"Jen, just because an agent works for me, doesn't mean I have to like them," Gibbs replied, getting irritated again

"You liked me," Jen said softly, with a smile

"Yeah, and to this day, I still don't know why," Gibbs replied, walking out

* * *

"I think Agent Gibbs needs to take some time out," Ziva commented as Gibbs disappeared into the elevator

"He's on medical leave at the moment, so he won't be returning to work until…" Ducky replied

"No, I mean, some time out. He needs to go somewhere to rest," Ziva explained

"Like a mental hospital?" Tony asked with a scoff, "Not gonna happen,"

"Yes, I do believe that is a bit drastic, Ziva," Ducky agreed

"In any case, once the director hears what he has to say, she'll make sure he has a compulsory session with a shrink before he returns to work. Besides, he's not hurting anybody at the moment, is he?" Tony replied, "So why don't we focus on the case. Ducky, what did you find?"

"Not a lot I'm afraid, Anthony. From what I can gather, it was in fact a suicide, the angle of the entry and exit wounds are consistent with a suicide…there is one thing that puzzles me though, these bruises," Ducky pointed to a few bruises on the body, "are not consistent with a fall or anything one may injure themselves on, on a day-to-day basis. And similarly, these cuts," Ducky pointed to a few fine, shallow cuts, which looked strangely like paper cuts "are recent and undoubtedly painful...but it is highly unusual to get these type of cuts in these areas. One would expect to find these on one's hands or arms, but certainly not on one's torso…"

"Painful but effective," Ziva responded

"Torture?" McGee asked, paling slightly

"I don't want to speculate," Ducky responded, "But that's what it appears to be,"

"Thanks, Duck," Tony sighed, as he walked out of autopsy

As they walked back into the bullpen, Tony told McGee to go down to the lab to see if Abby had anything. Tony and Ziva worked in relative silence until Gibbs came back from the Director's office. Tony watched as Gibbs opened his filing cabinet and began searching through it.

"Boss, you need any help?" Tony asked casually

Gibbs stood up and looked at Tony, "DiNozzo, where is it?"

"Where's what?" Tony asked

"The case we both know should be here," Gibbs replied, getting irritated

Tony frowned and put on an innocent face, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Gibbs stormed over to Tony's desk and stood in his personal space, "Where is it! DiNozzo!"

When Gibbs saw the shutters go up in the other man's eyes, he decided to change tactics. With a sigh, he backed out of Tony's space and looked at the ground as he said softly, "Look, Tony, I understand that this is hard for you," Gibbs looked into Tony's eyes again, "It was part of the reason I didn't move her file to the store room. But, I need to look over it again; I need to find concrete evidence that she is still alive. I saw her, Tony, I know I did. And I can prove it,"

Tony searched Gibbs' eyes for a moment, before sighing, "And if you don't find what you're looking for?"

Gibbs looked to the ground, then met Tony's eyes again, "I will,"

"But if you don't, will you get help?" Tony asked

Clearing his throat, Gibbs looked to the side, "Yeah, if I don't find anything,"

Tony nodded, pleased with the answer, "Good," he said as he handed over Kate's file, "I'm gonna hold you to that promise, Gibbs,"

Gibbs took the file and nodded, "I know you will,"

Tony grinned and walked out of the bullpen in the direction of the head. Gibbs left the bullpen in the other direction. Just before reaching the elevators, Ziva approached him and pulled him to the side.

"Agent Gibbs, I need to know what you told the director," Ziva demanded

"I don't know what makes you think that, Officer David, but I …" Gibbs replied

"No, you _will_ tell me, Agent Gibbs…" Ziva interrupted

"I don't respond well to insults," Gibbs growled at her, "Now, are we done, _Officer David_!"

"No, you must stop this nonsense if you don't want to get yourself killed!" Ziva replied with the same ferocity as Gibbs, keeping her voice low, "Now just answer the damn question, what did you tell her!"

Gibbs glared at her, "Everything, I told her I believe Kate is still alive, and I intend to prove it,"

"You need to stop this, Agent Gibbs, you need to tell her that you were wrong and your 'sightings' were merely hallucinations and that you are receiving help…" Ziva told him

"And if I decide not to?" Gibbs growled

"You don't have a choice," Ziva replied

"Hey boss, stop tying up my agents," Tony called from the bullpen, "Ziva, back to work,"

"We haven't finished this," Gibbs said as he walked to the elevator

"I wouldn't count on it," Ziva replied, walking back to the bullpen

* * *

That's it for chapter 7!...Hope you liked it! Please review, tell me what you think 


	8. Chapter 8

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Sorry about the delay, I kinda got very stuck. So to make up for it, I've posted an extra long chapter :D Hope you like it!

Thankyou for the reviews, I'm glad you like it

Thankyou also to Kate for her ongoing support and help

* * *

"Okay, Abs has something for us," Tony announced, walking to the elevator

McGee got up and followed him, closely followed by Ziva. When they got to the lab, they saw Ducky leaning over Abby's shoulder, looking intently at the screen.

"Whatcha got for us, Abs?" Tony asked over the music

Abby turned around and gave them a smile whilst Tony turned off the music. "Well, do you want the short version or the long version?"

"The short version," Tony replied, glancing at the screen

"The short-short version or the long-short version?" Abby asked with a grin

"Abby," Tony said warningly

"What? It was a valid question, the short version is pretty long, I mean no where near as long as the long version, because that is _really_ long, but the short version is …" Abby told them

"Abs, you have 30 seconds," Tony interrupted

"Okay, well our ex-marine used to be in the secret service and the crime scene turned up nothing, it's clean," Abby replied

"Wow, that is short" McGee commented

Tony glanced at McGee with a raised eyebrow, then looked back at Abby, "I'm gonna need a slightly longer version. What do you mean our crime scene is clean? And why weren't we informed that he was in the secret service?"

"Okay, first his identity. The PD who called us in only did so because one of the officers recognized an award of his, ah, this one," Abby replied, showing a picture of what mostly looked like blood splatter on the wall.

Abby zoomed in and pointed at the picture, "So he guessed he was an ex-marine. Anyway, I've just analyzed his blood; he name is Lieutenant Jeff Goodman, formally in the secret service. He retired two years ago,"

"There was nothing in the apartment that indicated he was in the secret service, or in the military," McGee commented

"Is that unusual?" Ziva asked

"Not if you saw Gibbs' place," Tony commented, taking a step forward to get a closer look at the monitor, "Only reason I found out he had a purple heart was because I was checking his place out…found it inside a draw,"

"You checked out the boss-man's place?" Abby asked with a grin

"Jethro has a purple heart?" Ducky asked, "I wonder what he got it for,"

"He wouldn't say," Tony replied, "Abs, can you put this on the plasma?"

Abby did as he asked, "What do ya see, Tony?"

"Can you zoom in just here?" Tony asked, pointing to the picture

"Looks like something should be there," McGee commented

Tony glanced at McGee then agreed, "Usually pictures are evenly spaced between each other...something has been removed,"

"And there," Ducky told Abby, pointing to the monitor

"What were you saying about the scene being clean?" Tony prompted after a while

"I've got no fingerprints, nothing apart from a few cops…" Abby replied

"Rule number 2," Tony grunted

"Always carry a knife?" Ziva asked with a frown

"Always wear gloves at a crime scene," Abby responded, "Anyway, I'm still waiting on the analysis of those fibers you sent me…"

"Probably the dog," McGee commented

"Dog?" Tony asked

"Our ex-marine owned a dog, hasn't been seen or, more to the point, heard since the morning of the murder," Ziva replied

Tony grumbled, "Did you find anything else?"

"Still waiting for the tox-screen to come back," Abby replied

"I wanna know as soon as you get anything," Tony responded

"Okay, give me two hours and they should be back," Abby responded

"I'll be back in half an hour," Tony called over his shoulder as he walked out.

* * *

"He was as drunk as a skunk," Abby commented, "Well, not a skunk, more like a koala. Did you know they eat so many eucalyptus leaves, most of the time, koalas are drunk?"

Abby frowned and looked at McGee when he didn't say anything, "McGee, Gibbs wants to adopt you," she said conversationally, then continued when she still didn't get a response, "And I'm pregnant, it's Tony's… Ziva's gonna help me raise it…"

McGee turned to Abby and frowned, "Have you noticed that Ziva's English is a lot better than when she started working here?"

"Did you even hear anything what I was saying?" Abby asked

Looking guilty, McGee responded, "Of course,"

"What did I say then?" Abby asked

"Ah…" McGee said as he tried to think of a response

Abby growled, "And of course Ziva's English would be better now than before. She's been here for about a year now…"

"No, I mean, recently she hasn't been slipping up as much, like, getting American idioms wrong. And when she does, it's like it's forced. It's like she's trying not to let us know how proficient she is in the language," McGee explained

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Abby asked

"I don't know," McGee said honestly, "Maybe she's a spy,"

Abby frowned, then looked to the door of the lab, "Ziva, are you a spy?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Ziva replied, walking in

McGee looked skeptically at her whilst she asked Abby for the results

"Okay, firstly Goodman was drunk, like I'm surprised that wasn't his COD. Secondly, the fibers came from the dog….and…" Abby replied

"And?" Ziva asked

"I'm waiting for a drum roll here," Abby remarked, then sighed when Ziva gave her a blank look, "Okay, one of the fibers came from a woman," Abby frowned, "Or a man…it had male and female DNA,"

"So we may have a witness," Ziva remarked

"Or the murderer," Abby answered, "McGeek here found a man that Goodman was in regular contact with…Mr. James Hood, or more recently, Miss Julie Hood," Abby replied

"It's like Voss all over again," McGee commented

"Who's 'Voss'?" Ziva asked

"Amanda," Abby replied

"Who's 'Amanda'?" Ziva asked, frowning

"Somebody I never want to see or hear about again," Tony responded as he walked into the lab

"Why Tony? Did she turn you down?" Ziva asked

"Actually, quite the contrary," Abby replied, "When Gibbs called, she was trying to find out if Tony had had his tonsils removed,"

"I don't understand," Ziva replied

"You don't need to. Abby, I'm sure you're gonna tell me what this has to do with the case," Tony interrupted

Abby filled him in on the details before providing him with Hood's last known address.

* * *

The team cautiously approached the house, listening to anything out of place. McGee went to the back of the property and waited for Tony to give the word.

Tony and Ziva took their places on either side of the front door. Tony knocked, then shouted, "NCIS, federal agents, open the door!"

They waited for several seconds before Tony nodded at Ziva, then kicked the door open. They made quick work of checking the house, shouts of 'clear!' filling the house. The team congregated in the kitchen and put away their weapons.

"Somebody left in a hurry," McGee commented

"But is she fleeing because she's guilty or to escape what happened?" Ziva asked

"Okay, let's get to work, see if we can't find where she's gone to," Tony told them as he took out his cell, "Abby put a BOLO out on Miss Hood's car,"

* * *

Gibbs woke with a start, wondering what had woken him up. Breathing deeply, he figured he must've had a nightmare. Vague and hazy images of being dragged out of bed and thrown in the back of a car came back to him. Shaking his head to collect himself, he moved to get out of bed for a much needed visit to the head. However as he tried to sit up, something impeded his progress and kept him flat on his back.

He frowned in confusion when he couldn't remember leaving anything on the bed…and it was a long time since he'd had a dog to share the bed with. Grumbling, he tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed, but again, something kept him from moving his legs too much. Frowning in part-confusion, part-alarm, he quickly moved his arms, which were met with the same resistance.

"What… ?" he mumbled as he tried to sit up to see what was going on

Upon further inspection he found himself tied to a bed with restraints. Wondering what the hell was going on, he looked around the unfamiliar room for clues. The room he was in was bare, with what looked like light colored walls.

Breathing heavily, he tried to remember what had happened last night. The last thing he remembered was going over Kate's case and finding a few discrepancies. Then…nothing, unless you counted that nightmare. He'd been kidnapped.

Struggling against the restraints, he grunted with effort in a vain attempt to get free.

"Aarrgghh!" he shouted, frustrated at the restraints

When he heard footsteps outside his room, he renewed his efforts; he wouldn't be taken without a fight.

The door to his room opened and light poured in, momentarily blinding him.

"Who the hell are you!" Gibbs shouted, squinting towards the door

Three people entered the room, two females and one male. "I'm Dr. Smith, do you remember we talked last night?" the man asked, whilst one of the women drew up a syringe.

Gibbs began struggling again, his eyes never leaving the syringe. The other woman stepped forward and helped to further restrain him

Taking a shaky breath, he asked, "What …what are you doing?"

"Nancy hold off for a bit," the doctor said, "Mr. Gibbs, if you promise to calm down a bit, we won't give you a sedative, can you do that for me?"

"What do you want from me?" Gibbs asked, avoiding the doctor's question

The doctor sighed and waved the two women out, "Do you remember being brought in last night, Mr. Gibbs?"

"I'm a federal agent! This is a major…!" Gibbs said, going strangely quiet, getting as close to the doctor's face as he could

"Mr. Gibbs, you are in a psychiatric institution," Smith interrupted, "You were brought in last night after you went to a rooftop, near the ports in Norfolk, supposedly following leads on a cold case. When security guards questioned you and requested you to leave the area, you threatened to jump off the rooftop…"

"I'm not suicidal," Gibbs growled

"That's not what it looked like to the officers last night," Smith replied, "When we admitted you, you were talking to somebody who wasn't there, somebody we later gathered to be somebody who was killed in the line of duty under your watch. We've since discovered that you've been 'seeing' this colleague for some time now, and we have testaments that you're behavior of late has been quite erratic in nature,"

"She was _not_ killed!" Gibbs growled, "And I was _not_ hallucinating!"

"I saw her death certificate, Mr. Gibbs," Smith responded, "I've admitted you on a temporary basis for observational purposes. I'll review your progress in a week and see if you're fit to be discharged. However, from most indications, I believe your stay will be on a somewhat more permanent basis,"

"You think I'm insane," Gibbs accused

"No, I believe you are a bit lost at the moment. I believe that you have been under a lot of stress lately, however I do believe that a full recovery is possible if we work at it," Smith replied

Gibbs scoffed, "Yeah, but you'd keep me doped up on so many different drugs I won't be able to function normally,"

"Speaking of drugs, I would like to take a blood test tomorrow to test you for drug use and…" Smith responded

"I don't use drugs," Gibbs growled, trying to sit up

Smith hummed, "I'll have a nurse come by shortly after breakfast,"

"I don't believe this crap! This'll ruin my career; I wasn't even…" Gibbs took a deep breath, trying to control his anger, "Last night I was at home, not on some rooftop! I fell asleep looking over files and woke up here!"

"You don't remember being on the rooftop?" Smith asked, sounding concerned

"Because I wasn't there!" Gibbs exclaimed

Smith stroked his chin, contemplating Gibbs, "Mr. Gibbs, do you often find that you 'wake up' in strange places, not knowing how you got there?"

"Of course I wake up in strange places," Gibbs replied, "Given the work I do…and it's not unusual for me to sleep under my boat. But I always know how I got there,"

"What about your collegues acting strangely towards you after…?" Smith asked

"Look, I know where you're going with this and I don't appreciate…!" Gibbs interrupted

"Mr. Gibbs, if you'd just lower your voice and try to calm down…" Smith interrupted

"Calm down! _Calm down_!I've been thrown in a _loony bin_ because of something I didn't do… And _you're_ telling me to _calm down_!" Gibbs shouted, "How the _hell_ do you expect me to _calm down_!"

"If you can't calm down, Mr. Gibbs, I'll be forced to ask Nancy to give you a sedative," Smith replied.

"I don't wanna calm down!" Gibbs yelled, "Contrary to convention belief, I am not a lunatic! I don't deserve to be here!"

As Gibbs continued shouting, he didn't notice Nancy walk in with a loaded syringe. As Gibbs renewed his struggle against the restraints, Nancy plunged the syringe into his arm and injected the sedative.

* * *

That's it for chapter 8!...Hope it wasn't too jumpy...I'm still a bit stuck, but I have an idea where the next chapter is going...I think

Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think...


	9. Chapter 9

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Author's Note: Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them

Here's the next chapter, the next one may take a bit longer as I'm slightly stuck, I just hit a stone wall..

Anyway, a humungous thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

* * *

Ducky sat on the side of Gibbs' desk and waited for the team to file in. He looked at his watch for, what must've been at least the, tenth time since he'd arrived. Usually Ducky could be a very patient man, but something about the current situation just rubbed him up the wrong way and made him want something to be done _now_.

His gaze settled on the elevator door as he heard the 'ding' it made when the doors opened. He saw Tony grinning at one of the new female agents, and hold the doors open for her. The couple made their way down the corridor where Tony eventually stopped at the bullpen and admired the agent as she continued on her way.

"I think I'm losing my touch, Ducky, she didn't even look twice at me…" Tony began as he approached his desk

"That's because she's married, Tony," McGee replied as he entered the bullpen

"Doesn't mean she can't flirt with me," Tony replied indignantly, as he put his gun in his drawer

McGee rolled his eyes and booted up his computer. Tony sat down and watched Ducky for a while, noting the worried look on his face, "You okay, Ducky?"

"No, Anthony, I'm not. I'm rather concerned at the moment," Ducky replied

"You wanna talk about it?" Tony asked

"Yes, all in good time though. In fact, as soon as Ziva arrives, we can take this conversation to the lab, so that we can include Abigail, I'm sure she'll want to hear this as well," Ducky replied

"Sounds serious," Tony remarked, frowning

"It is," Ducky responded

They waited in relative silence for ten minutes before Ziva arrived, looking slightly flustered.

"You're late, Officer David," Tony growled at her, his good mood gone

"Yes, I'm aware of that Tony, I …" Ziva replied

"I don't wanna hear excuses," Tony responded, standing up and following Ducky to the elevator

Ziva huffed and sat down, wondering what his problem was.

"We have a meeting in the lab," McGee told her as he shuffled past

Ziva grumbled and followed them to the elevator, only to get there as the doors closed. Sighing, she took the stairs instead. As she entered the lab, Abby looked away from the door and looked at Ducky impatiently.

"Okay, spill," Abby ordered

Ducky sighed and closed his eyes to mentally compose himself, "Last night, Jethro was admitted into a psychiatric institution. I was informed of the situation this morning and I haven't been able to make a trip there yet. But from what his doctor told me, Jethro apparently broke down and tried to commit suicide,"

Abby gasped and looked at McGee, who looked equally as shocked. McGee wrapped Abby in a hug as Ducky continued.

"During the night, he woke up disorientated and had to be sedated. They are not sure how long his stay will have to be at this stage as his recent behavior has been somewhat erratic, and he's shown some other disturbing signs," Ducky finished

Silence reined over the lab for what seemed like hours, everyone processing the information.

"No, Gibbs may have been acting strangely and everything, but he was never suicidal. The word isn't even in his vocabulary. I mean, come on, the man's a marine," Tony argued, "I don't believe them, I wanna hear his side of it,"

"Apparently he doesn't have a side, according to him, he fell asleep under the boat," Ducky responded, "And they are attributing that to him blacking out,"

"No, I don't believe it," Abby gasped

"You don't believe what?" Somebody asked as they entered the lab

Everybody turned around to see Jenny walked into the lab and looked curiously at everybody there.

"Agent Gibbs has been put in a mental hospital," Ziva replied

Jenny's expression grew concerned, "Is he okay?"

"He should be after treatment," Ziva replied

"He doesn't need treatment," Abby responded

"He's seeing and talking to his dead co-worker," Ziva replied, raising her eyebrow

"Yes, but he may have a point, I'm interested as to what he found in the reports," Jenny replied

"There was nothing in those reports, he saw connections that were not there," Ziva responded

"Actually, from what Jethro told me last night, I have reason to believe that Agent Caitlin Todd is still alive," Jenny replied in a challenging fashion

"I'd like to see how he arrived at that conclusion," Ziva replied

"Indeed I would as well," Ducky interrupted

Jenny opened her mouth to respond, but her cell began to ring, smiling sweetly at the group she told them, "Sorry, I have to take this call. We can continue this discussion later,"

Once the doors to the elevator had closed behind her, Tony looked to Ziva accusingly, "Ziva, can I ask you something? And I want you to answer as honestly as possible…"

Ziva thought for a moment, before answering, "Okay, shoot ahead,"

"Actually, I think you mean, 'go ahead' or 'shoot'," Abby corrected unconsciously

"But we think you knew that," McGee mumbled

Tony frowned, but continued, "Ziva, were you the one who put Gibbs in the loony bin?"

"Yes, I was. He was putting the team in danger, and keeping us distracted from doing our jobs," Ziva replied, "He was a liability.."

"He was on medical leave," Ducky interrupted, his irritation showing on his face "I do not see how he was a liability,"

"Just what the hell are you trying to pull here, Officer David?" Tony growled

"He was compromising our operation," Ziva responded

"What operation?" McGee asked irritatedly

"Agent Gibbs is unstable, he needs help and to move on…" Ziva responded

"I do believe that is in my area of expertise," Ducky replied

Ziva sighed, "Excuse me, but I have better things to do with my time," she said as she walked out of the lab

* * *

Gibbs woke up slowly, hearing somebody calling his name. As he came to, he became more confused, wondering where he was.

"Mr. Gibbs, are you with us?" he heard somebody ask

Blinking a few times, Gibbs squinted at the figure in front of him, he tried to speak but his voice was too raspy to be coherent. Wetting his lips and swallowing, he tried again, "Where am I?"

The man above him looked to the woman, "How much did you give him?"

As he looked to the woman, it all came back in a rush. Wetting his lips again, he croaked, "You're that nurse who…and you think I …but I didn't, I wouldn't,"

Sensing that Gibbs was more than slightly worried, the man asked the nurse to get Doctor Smith.

"You're going to be fine, Mr. Gibbs," the man said

Gibbs tried to sit up, but was pulled down by the restraints, "I don't belong here, I wouldn't try to commit suicide, and I would not look for Kate on that rooftop…"

"Good morning, Mr. Gibbs" Smith said as he walked in, gesturing to the man and the nurse to leave the room

"You!... I'm not suicidal…" Gibbs began again

"Mr. Gibbs, please calm down," Smith told him

Gibbs took a deep breath, "Why do I get the feeling you're gonna lock me up here forever?"

Smith managed to smile, "I don't believe that's the case. I spoke to Doctor Mallard earlier…"

"He knows I'm here?" Gibbs asked, trying to sit up again

"I informed him this morning. In any case, I believe that these are unnecessary," Smith replied, getting up to undo the restraints

Gibbs watched cautiously, then looked relieved when he was free. Sitting up, he rubbed his wrists and began undoing the other restraints, "So what happens now?"

"If you agree to behave, I won't have to put you in a straight jacket whilst you have some breakfast," Smith replied

"What's the coffee like?" Gibbs asked, ignoring the comment about the straight-jacket

"The left-over coffee is used to tar the roads," Smith responded

* * *

That's it for chapter 9!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think...and if you have any ideas that could help me out, I'd love to hear them :-D 


	10. Chapter 10

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Author's Note: Please tell me what you think of this chapter, it took me ages to write ...

Sorry about the huge delay, I've had so many assignment to do ...hopefully the next few weeks should be better

Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them

And a humungous thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

* * *

Gibbs stood in the corner of the sun-room, leaning against the wall as he observed the other patients. A few of them were quietly playing chess across the other side of the room; some were watching television or reading. And then there were others. Two people sat in wheelchairs, in front of the windows. They seemed to be staring out of the windows, but seeing nothing. _Catatonics_, Ducky's voice informed him. Gibbs cracked a smile; he'd always listened to the important parts of what Ducky would say.

Sighing, Gibbs looked to a patient who had began head-butting the wall. Frowning slightly, Gibbs observed as two orderlies and a nurse restrained the man and helped him out of the room.

On one of the arm-chairs a patient was making some kind of argument about numbers, telling everybody and nobody about why and how particular equations worked. The man would occasionally hit himself or the chair, his constant mumbles fast becoming background noise.

The man across from him sat rocking backwards and forwards, staring at the ground and mumbling incoherently. He looked a lot like one of the sergeants Gibbs had put away two years ago. Gibbs raised his eyebrow and mentally shrugged.

Looking over the rest of the room, Gibbs found one of the men watching him from near the window. The man squinted at him for a while, before moving away to the chess game, still sneaking glances at him every now and again.

Gibbs folded his arms and cocked his head to the side, wondering how he'd ended up in here. Sighing, he glanced up at movement to his side.

"Jethro, what did you do to get yourself into this mess?" Jen asked as she approached him "Apparently I tried to commit suicide," Gibbs replied

"Yes, Ducky mentioned something about that…" Jenny responded

"I fell asleep talking to you, Jen," Gibbs interrupted

"I know," Jen told him, "Let's see if we can get you out of here, they're processing your discharge papers now,"

"You've already signed them?" Gibbs asked

Jen smiled, "As has Ducky. Walk with me, Jethro,"

Gibbs followed Jen out of the sun-room with a grin.

"So, what did you mean Ducky didn't perform the autopsy?" Jen asked as they walked down a corridor

"I'll tell you about it once I'm outta here," Gibbs responded, "Did you find out who signed the admittance papers?"

"A doctor Deegan," Jen answered

Gibbs stopped and turned to look at Jen, "That's the doctor that performed the autopsy,"

"So whoever performed the autopsy is the same person that …"

"I don't believe there was an autopsy," Gibbs interrupted, as he began walking again

"What?" Jen asked

"Kate said that the mind sees what it wants to see, Ducky believes he did the autopsy, but his signature is not the one on the report. What if there was no autopsy? What if we only believed there was one because that's what always happens? It's like when you're not sure if you've locked your door because you've done it so many other times…" Gibbs replied

"I didn't think you locked your door," Jen remarked

"I'm serious, Jen. I looked at the crime scene pictures we took," Gibbs sighed and stopped walking, then faced Jen, "I kinda sworn there was more blood; like that she had a pool of blood around her head, but…what if I only thought that because it's what I expected? I know head shots bleed the most…"

Jen nodded in agreement and they continued walking. As they approached the desk, Dr. Smith came out of a room of their left and bumped into them.

"Ah, Mr. Gibbs, I hear you've been discharged," Smith said

"Doctor Smith, sorry I couldn't stay longer," Gibbs replied sarcastically

"Are you sure I can't get you to stay for a few more days?" Smith asked

"No, I think I'm fine thanks," Gibbs responded

Smith sighed, "I still feel you need more time to rest,"

"I think I've had as much rest as I can manage" Gibbs replied, "Besides, I can do that at home,"

Smith forced a smile, "Okay, well if I can't persuade you to stay, will you at least stay as an out-patient, or come back every week to see one of our psychiatrists?"

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks," Gibbs replied more forcefully

Smith sighed again, "Right," he said with a nod, "Well, your paperwork has gone through; you're free to go,"

"Well, nice to meet you doctor…?" Jen said, holding out her hand

"Smith," Smith replied, shaking her hand, "Good luck Mr. Gibbs,"

Gibbs followed Jen out of the hospital and to her car in silence. As they got into the car, Jen turned to him with a frown on her face, "You know, when I found out who admitted you, I ran a check on 'Doctor Deegan,'. Anyway, there was picture. Doctor Deegan is the same person as Doctor Smith"

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly. The team continued to try and locate Miss Hood, and tried to find other leads that would help them find who had killed their marine. Tony had been waiting for the Director to return from one of her appointments so he could talk to her about Ziva, and attempting to get her removed from the team. But it seemed the appointment had taken all day, as she hadn't returned.

Tony narrowed his eyes at Ziva as she took a phone call which appeared to make her very agitated. After several minutes, Ziva stood up and walked to Tony's desk.

"Tony, we need to talk," Ziva told him

"Only if it'd case-related," Tony replied, not looking up from his work.

"It is," Ziva replied

"Ok, well talk," Tony told her

"In private, Tony," Ziva responded

Tony sighed and eventually got up, leading the way to the elevator. After the doors closed, he waited several seconds before hitting the emergency button, "What do you want, Officer David?"

"Jen has just kidnapped Gibbs," Ziva replied

Tony frowned, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Ziva sighed, "Okay, I should probably start at the beginning.."

"That would be an idea," Tony responded

"But you need to keep an open mind, this might not be an easy thing to hear about," Ziva pushed

"Ziva, just get on with it," Tony replied, getting irritated

"Okay," Ziva sighed and took a deep breath, "Tony, Kate is still alive,"

"What?!" Tony exploded

* * *

That's it for chapter 10!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think... 


	11. Chapter 11

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

Author's Note: Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them, they keep me wanting to continue this fic :) and I really needed the inspiration to write this chapter…I lost my motivation there for a while…but anyway…

Also a humungous thankyou to Kate who has been a great help and gave me some great ideas.

As I haven't posted in a while, I made this chapter longer than the others, hope you like it!

* * *

"What the hell did you just say?!" Tony growled

"Kate is alive, her death was faked because…" Ziva started

"What?!" Tony asked, "Ziva, I don't think you…"

"Tony, listen to me!" Ziva interrupted, "Let me finish before you interrupt me!" she took a deep breath, "As a former secret service operative, Kate still had information on the president, useful information. Many people could use that information for a number of purposes, I won't go into that now though. In any case, the majority of people who have access to that information have greater security, they are…monitored. But as Kate left the secret service, they no longer guaranteed her safety…"

"She was an easier target?" Tony asked in an attempt to clarify

"Yes. We knew that a group of people were trying to get their hands on that information and would go to any lengths to do it. So we had a chat to Agent Todd, who agreed to be bait to bring the terrorists out. Unfortunately, the plan backfired. Ari ruined the plan by bringing your team into it, telling NCIS that he was going to kill Gibbs.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, on that rooftop, Ari tried to shoot Gibbs, but he was never a good shooter. The bullet ricocheted off an oil drum, or some other metal object, and grazed Agent Todd's fore-head. Kate lost consciousness, but was still alive. Ari thought he'd killed Kate and took off, and your team thought she was dead as well. So we used her 'death' to our advantage and kept it a secret," Ziva stopped to take a deep breath and to let Tony absorb the information

"You can't be serious," Tony said disbelievingly

"I don't kid around, Tony," Ziva replied, "Anyway, the terrorist group decided to get closer, hoping that Kate had mentioned something to somebody…namely Gibbs. So they sent Jennifer Sheppard in, knowing about the affair in Paris, and knew that Gibbs would trust her,"

"I knew there was something hinky about their relationship," Tony remarked

"Yes well, recently Kate has been restless and visited Gibbs, whom I believe has now figured out the truth. I tried to tell Gibbs not to mention it to Jen, but he didn't listen. I don't blame him though, in his eyes, I'm trying to replace Kate," Ziva sighed, "I put Gibbs in a psychiatric institution, hoping he would calm down and Jen would think he was loosing his mind. But I've just received a phone call, notifying me that Jen discharged him this afternoon,"

"Don't they need a doctor's signature?" Tony asked

"She faked Ducky's," Ziva replied, "So now the terrorist group knows that Kate's alive, and they have a bargaining chip, Gibbs. And once they have Kate…who knows what will happen,"

"So, the president's life is in danger," Tony deduced, "So, does any of this have to do with our ex-marine, formerly secret service agent who's in autopsy?"

"Undoubtedly, I assumed they tried to get information out of him…the question is whether he gave anything up or not," Ziva responded

Tony thought for a moment, narrowing his eyes at Ziva, "Why should I believe you? What makes you think I can trust you?"

"Tony, would I make this up?" Ziva asked in response

"Well I don't know, Ziva, would you?" Tony asked

"Okay, what would make you believe me?" Ziva responded

"Tell me something only Kate would know," Tony replied. When Ziva huffed and rolled her eyes, he continued, "Or better yet, let me talk to her,"

"Tony, we're wasting time," Ziva said in exasperation

"So what are you waiting for? Call her," Tony demanded

"You think it's that easy?" Ziva asked, "I would be blowing months of work of undercover work and protection, not to mention giving anybody her location who thinks to listen in, and I would be confirming she's still alive,"

"I think the cat's already out of the bag on that one," Tony replied, getting irritated again

"What?" Ziva asked in confusion

Tony growled and clarified, "I think people already know, Ziva,"

"Tony, I don't think you understand - " Ziva started

"No, I don't think _you_ understand, Ziva. Now, make the call," Tony interrupted. When Ziva didn't move, he snapped, "Now!"

Ziva glared at him for a moment, "If I call her – "

"We'll help," Tony finished her sentence, "Guaranteed,"

"I was thinking more along the lines of wanting a secure line…" Ziva replied

Tony thought for a moment, "Okay, we'll go to Abby's lab"

"She can't find out," Ziva told him

"Why not?!" Tony growled

"Tony, she likes to talk as much as Ducky, the whole building will know in five minutes," Ziva replied, exasperated

Tony narrowed his eyes at Ziva, "Abby is very good at keeping secrets, Ziva, there are a lot of things you don't know. Abby stays,"

Ziva sighed, "Okay. And I suppose you want McGee and Ducky there as well?"

"Naturally," Tony deadpanned, "They deserve to know. And if you're right, they'll know by the end of the day anyway,"

"Okay, but nobody else," Ziva eventually said

"Wouldn't dream of it, too risky," Tony responded, flicking the emergency switch, bringing the elevator back to life.

Ziva and Tony exited the elevator at the morgue and walked in to find Ducky talking to their ex-marine on the slab. As they walked in Ducky looked up and frowned, "Ah, Anthony and Ziva, I didn't expect you back down here,"

"Duck, we're having a team meeting in the lab," Tony told him

"I see, I'll just finish up here, I shouldn't be – " Ducky responded

"Doctor Mallard, we need to meet now," Ziva interrupted

Tony glared at her, "Ziva, why don't you call McGee, tell him to meet us in the lab?"

Ziva growled, but did as she was asked

Ducky turned back to Tony with a surprised expression on his face, "Is there something I should know about?"

"Yeah, a lot of things," Tony replied, rolling his eyes, "Why don't you get Jimmy to finish up here?"

Frowning, Ducky turned to Jimmy with instructions, before following Tony and Ziva to the elevator. When they arrived in the lab, McGee and Abby were glaring at each other.

"Okay, break it up guys," Tony said as he entered the lab, "We have some news…McGee, can you secure the lab, I don't want anybody walking in. Abs, I need a secure line,"

"What's going on, Tony?" Abby asked, looking anxious

"I don't even know where to begin," Tony replied, watching as McGee turned off a few lights and locked a few doors

"Okay, the lab's as secure as it can be," McGee announced

"Right," Tony began, shooting a glance to Ziva before taking a deep breath and explaining what was going on

* * *

"Where are we going?" Gibbs asked, watching as they reached the outer edge of the city.

When they'd gone the opposite direction to Gibbs' house, he assumed they were going to Jenny's place, but they'd passed her road a while back now. He hadn't wanted to say anything, but he was getting tired of being nice.

"Some place quiet," Jenny replied, cryptically

Gibbs turned his head to look at his old partner, "Care to be more specific?"

"Not really," Jen responded

"Wasn't a question, Jen," Gibbs told her

"Why don't you tell me what makes you think Kate is still alive?" Jen asked

"Don't avoid the topic, Jen, where are we going?" Gibbs replied

"Don't you trust me, Jethro?" Jen asked, pouting a bit

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, "I used to, right now I don't trust anyone, and you're not helping by dodging my questions,"

"Jethro, don't worry, we'll be there soon," Jen replied, "Now, you said you looked over the case file and found inconsistencies… ?"

"She's not dead, Jenny," Gibbs replied, then laughed, "You know, I was thinking of going to her grave and trying to find out if her body was in there," he quickly sobered, "But I didn't go because I was afraid I was wrong, and if I'd dug her body up and she was still there…I don't know what I would do. It would be like experiencing her death all over again, and I don't know if I could go through that again, don't think I could cope with it,"

"What were the inconsistencies?" Jenny asked

Gibbs sighed, "The wound on her forehead was…it had a direction, like the direction she was shot from was from the side. It was more oval than round, and not as deep, it just…I don't know,"

As they approached a truck stop, Jen slowed down and pulled in.

"Jen?" Gibbs asked, eyeing the truck parked at the stop as two big men got out of it

"Just need to stretch my legs, Jethro," Jenny replied

Gibbs frowned, "I'll stay here,"

"No," Jen responded, "You need to stretch your legs as well,"

"I'm fine thanks," Gibbs responded

"Jethro, out, now," Jen replied

Gibbs glared at her, "No,"

Jen sighed, "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this, Jethro, but you leave me no choice," she said, pulling out her gun and leveling it at Gibbs, "Now, get out of the car,"

Gibbs smirked, "You wouldn't shoot me, put the gun away and let's go,"

Jen watched Gibbs, "Try me,"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow but stayed put. Jen pointed the gun at his though and squeezed the trigger. The shot took Gibbs by surprise and he let out a yelp of pain and put pressure over the wound, grounding out, "Bitch,"

Jen smiled and leveled the gun at his head, "Now, get out,"

Taking off his seatbelt, Gibbs registered the truck drivers open the door and drag him out.

Jen looked at the taller of the truck drivers, "I'll follow you there, in case he tries to escape,"

"Won't be much chance of that happening," the man responded, hitting Gibbs on the head with something hard, knocking him out

* * *

That's it for chapter 11!... ... Hope you liked it! Please review! Any words of inspiration would be much appreciated, my motivation seems to have taken a holiday... 


	12. Chapter 12

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: THankyou all for the reviews, i love them! Keep 'em coming :-D

Also a huge thankyou to Kate for her ongoing help and good work!

The chapters should be coming faster now, I've finished uni for the year...well, unless I get stuck...again... anyways, on with the story

* * *

"…so we came down here to call her," Tony ended his explanation to the team

"That's all very interesting, Tony, but I don't think it's very funny, or appropriate," McGee said tersely

"Huh, you think I'm kidding," Tony deduced

"Well yeah, I'm waiting for you both to give each other a high-five and start laughing at us," McGee replied

"I can assure you, McGee, this is real," Ziva answered, "I am not one to kid around about something like this,"

"Yeah, like you weren't kidding around when you said there was a dead guy in my car," McGee argued

"I wasn't" Ziva responded

"It was a plastic skeleton, Ziva," McGee replied

"It was Tony's idea," Ziva said

Tony managed to look slightly guilty, "Hey, it was on special – "

"Not the point – " McGee argued

"Exactly, the point is Kate is still alive, Gibbs has been kidnapped by the Director, and the President's life is in danger," Ziva interrupted

"The account does have it's merits and I would be interested to see who they call," Ducky said, "Ziva and Tony may be pranksters, but Ziva knows how…delicate this topic is, and I believe even Tony would not think lightly on this topic,"

"Well, I for one am a bit skeptical on the whole 'conspiracy theory'," Abby butted in, raising her hand, "I think I would have believed it more if you said she'd come back as a ghost or something. But in the meantime, I'm willing to be surprised,"

"Indeed," Ducky agreed

"Tony, this better not be – " McGee began

"Hey, you guys are all acting like I'm part of this. Ziva only explained this to me about 10 minutes ago. Hell, I'm not even sure I believe it, I'd like to, but…" Tony replied

"Can we get this over with? Please?" Ziva asked, "Abby, can you set up a secure line?"

"Ah, one moment Ziva," Ducky began, looking concerned, "Can you explain to me how I performed Caitlin's autopsy?"

"Of course, Doctor Mallard, you didn't," Ziva replied, "A different doctor signed off on the autopsy report. No doubt you believed you did the autopsy because it's normal procedure,"

"But I have detailed accounts and vivid memories of performing it," Ducky argued

"Ooh, this is so memory distortion," Abby commented as she typed on her computer, "It's like if you ask somebody where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the 9/11 attacks, they may reply incorrectly. For example, one of my friends in Australia said she heard about it when the TV program she was watching that night was interrupted. But I know that incorrect, she'd gone to bed early – we were chatting on the net – and found out in the morning when her boyfriend woke her up…"

"Actually I've heard similar accounts," Ducky commented

"I was on a bus, the driver heard it over the radio and told everybody…then Gibbs called," McGee remarked

"I was on a date – " Tony responded

"Okay, we're ready!" Abby exclaimed

"Ziva?" Tony said, gesturing to the phone

As Ziva stepped forward, Ducky told Abby to put on the speaker phone. Ziva dialed the number and they all waited impatiently for an answer.

Eventually they heard somebody pick up, "Hello?"

Tony frowned at the unfamiliar voice, glancing at Ziva, who held up her hand, also frowning, "Hi, could I talk to Katherine?"

"She's in the shower at the moment, can I take a message?" the man on the other end replied

"Who am I speaking to?" Ziva asked

"John, who am I speaking to?" John replied

Ziva rolled her eyes, "An old friend. I was hoping to talk to her; I'm calling from overseas,"

"Hang on," John told them as they heard voices in the background. After a while John talked to them again, "Here she is,"

The line went silent for a moment, then they heard the unmistakable voice of Kate, "Hello?"

"Kate!" Abby shouted into the phone in excitement

"Whoa," they heard her reply, obviously pulling the phone away from her ear, "Hi, who is this?"

The team began talking in unison, before stopping and chuckling as they realised she probably hadn't heard anything. Eventually Tony spoke up, "Kate, its Tony, and Ducky, Abby and McGee,"

They heard a gasp from the other end of the phone, followed by, "Oh my god!" then a small sob

Tony grinned, tears shining in his eyes, "How are you?"

They heard a half laugh, half sob, "Better now. I thought you all thought I was dead,"

"We did!" Abby exclaimed

"But Ziva told us what happened," McGee commented

"Ziva?" Kate asked in confusion

"The young woman who _replaced_ you and helped maintain your cover," Ducky explained

Kate chuckled again, "So, why is she telling you now? Is it over?"

"Not yet," Ziva replied, "But it will be soon,"

Kate sighed, "Is Gibbs there?"

"Ah, no…there have been some, ah, complications," Ziva replied

"Complications?" Kate asked, "What kind of complications?"

* * *

Gibbs gasped and squinted his eyes open, as he tried to ignore the pain in his head. As he took in his surroundings, he heard people talking not too far away in loud voices. One of them was the familiar voice of Jenny Sheppard, the other was male, but he didn't recognize it.

As Gibbs tried moving, he noticed that he seemed to be in a seated position, with his hands tied behind his back. He let out a silent groan of frustration and closed his eyes so that the Jenny and the unidentified male wouldn't know he was conscious. As he tried to work his hands free, he failed to stop his cry of pain as he twisted his left hand. Biting his lip, he waited for the sharp-pain to reduce to a dull throb. In the background he heard that the two people had stopped arguing, until he heard somebody step close behind him.

"Jethro, I see that you're awake," the cool voice of Jenny said

Gibbs kept his mouth shut as he heard her move closer. Abruptly she snatched the rope restraining his hands, and held it up, putting his hands at a strange angle. Gibbs grimaced in pain as Jen leant down to whisper in his ear, "Hope those restraints aren't too tight…"

"Not at all" Gibbs croaked, his voice harsh from not using it

He heard Jenny chuckle before tightening the rope and dropping it, "Now, Jethro, where is Kate?"

Gibbs frowned, "The naval cemetery where we buried – "

Jenny slapped Gibbs across the face, growling, "Don't get smart with me. Now tell me where she is, or you can deal with Lenny over there," she nodded her head at the man she'd been arguing with earlier

Clearing his throat, Gibbs looked at Jenny, "I don't know where she is, Jen, hell, I don't even know if I did even see her,"

"Don't lie to me, Jethro," Jenny warned

"I'm not," Gibbs said with an honest face, "But even if I did, what makes you think I'd tell you?"

"Oh, you will tell me, Jethro," Jenny assured, motioning for Lenny to step forward

"Not gonna happen, _Jen_," Gibbs hissed her name

Jenny narrowed her eyes at him as she tied a rubber strap to his upper arm, "We'll see about that, _Jethro_,"

Lenny stepped forward and unsheathed a syringe, flicking it a few times and squirted it a bit before sticking it into Gibbs' arm. Gibbs grunted as the tip of the syringe went into his arm, but kept his gaze locked with Jenny's.

Jenny eventually grunted, smirking a bit before walking off, taking Lenny with her. Gibbs watched them go, then tried to figure out how to get out of this situation, and what did they want with Kate?

As he tried to focus his thoughts, they became jumbled and he found it hard to hold onto them. His head began to swim as he vision blurred and he became lightheaded. Blinking a few times in quick succession, he tried to look at the door Jen and Lenny had gone out, but its shape was distorted and blurry. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Kate walk forward and eventually stand in front of him, with a concerned expression on her face.

"_Just hold on in there, be strong,"_ Kate said to him

Gibbs frowned, mumbling, "I'm hallucinating,"

Kate chuckled, _"Yes, you are. But doesn't it seem better when there's two of us?"_

Gibbs grunted, "Why do they wanna know where you are?"

"_I don't know. Jethro, you need to hang on in there, I'm counting on you," _Kate replied

Gibbs chuckled, "Good to know I can count on myself,"

"_We'll be there to rescue you soon,"_ Kate responded

Gibbs tried to focus on his hallucination of Kate, but found even that difficult, "They don't know I'm missing,"

"_They're good investigators, you hand-picked them – except Ziva. But they know how to do their job…we're coming for you Jethro, just hang on…" _Kate's voice followed him into unconsciousness.

* * *

That's it for chapter 12!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think! Hopefully it shouldn't be too long til I post the next chap (fingers crossed) 


	13. Chapter 13

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: THankyou all for your reviews! And please keep them coming, they keep me inspired

Also a huge thankyou to Kate for her fantastic work and help!

Sorry about the huge delay, I've really been having a hard time trying to get back on track with this fic, and my ideas seem to have taken a holiday as well as my brain and everything. I plan to be able to put another chapter up before the end of the week, so fingers crossed... Anywho, on with the fic...

* * *

Tony hung up the phone and took a deep breath, trying to process the myriad of emotions from the last call.

"Wow!" Abby exclaimed, "I can't believe she's alive! I mean, I always wished that she would come back from the dead, but this is just…"

"Surreal," Ducky supplied, when Abby couldn't find the word

"Exactly. It's almost like all my birthdays and Christmas's have come at once!" Abby exclaimed, then turned to Tony, "So, Mr. Big Man, what's our next move?"

Tony thought about it for a second before snapping into action, "Abby, I want you to trace the last calls the Director made on her cell, try to locate her position. If not, work with McGee to see when her last cash withdrawal was, and try to find if she's bought a cell lately – "

"Um, she has bought a new phone, a prepaid phone, we are currently trying to get her number," Ziva interrupted

"Okay," Tony paused, "Perhaps you should tell us exactly how far you've got into this search,"

Ziva sighed, "The doctor who admitted Gibbs into the psychiatric institution and one of the other 'patients' – one of our men went in undercover – tried following Jen and Gibbs after they left the hospital – "

"So they should know where they are," Tony deduced, narrowing his eyes at her

"Well, yes, they should. However, they lost them; Jenny must have thought to try to shake off anybody who may be tailing her. And from what I've heard, she did a good job,"

Tony closed his eyes, "Well, do they know what store Jen bought her phone from? Maybe we could find out the number from the store,"

"We do know the store," Ziva replied

Tony looked expectantly to McGee, "Tony, they won't give us that kind of information without – "

"Probie!" Tony barked, "I do not wanna hear how hard it is, or why we can't get it,"

McGee rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything

"Ziva, how far away does Kate live?" Tony asked

"Tony, you are not driving out there – " Ziva responded

"Is it near an airport? Or would she be likely to drive?" Tony interrupted, "Cause, if it's likely that she's gonna catch a plane, we need to be prepared, and we'll need to notify – "

"I hardly believe she was serious about coming over," Ziva replied

"Hey! When Kate says she's on her way here, then she _is_ on her way here. And especially if it's got something to do with Gibbs,"

Ziva grumbled, "_If_ she is on her way here, she'll be driving,"

"How long?" Ducky asked

"It's a four hour drive," Ziva replied, "Just under three and a quarter if I drive, and less at this time of the day, there wouldn't be much traffic"

"Okay, Ziva, I want all of the other information you've got. If you've been watching Jen for the last year or whatever, you probably already know where she's gone and who's helping her," Tony told her, "Make a list of places and people's names – and phone numbers would help, but we may not have time. I'm going to try to get access to her computer. Let's get to work people!"

_

* * *

Gibbs fought his way out of the haze of his unconsciousness and found himself on a rooftop. Suddenly he heard a noise behind him. Whirling around, he saw Kate dash out of a door to the roof with her gun out, followed closely by Tony._

"_Kate," Gibbs mumbled, clearing his throat_

_Neither Kate, not Tony, appeared to hear him though and continued searching the rooftop, for what, he wasn't sure. Eventually though, as one they began shooting at a target beyond his sight. _

_Gibbs struggled to his feet with the intent to protect Kate from any imminent danger, and headed towards the gun fight. As he neared the area, he ducked behind one of the air-conditioner blocks and called to his collegues. _

_Another burst of fire made him duck down further to shield himself from getting hit. _

"_Kate! Tony!" Gibbs yelled _

_Suddenly he heard one of the shout, but not in response to his call. The shout he heard, sounded like one of them had been injured more than an acknowledgment of his shout. _

_Gibbs risked peeping around the corner of the block to find out what had happened. Suddenly the gun fire stopped. He saw Kate lying on the ground, with Tony kneeling beside her._

_Gibbs' heart leaped into his throat as he registered the scene in-front of him. As he stepped out of his cover, he saw Kate move and then saw the bullet lodged in her vest._

_Tony took a step forward, "You okay?"_

"_Oww," Kate whined in response, "I just got shot at point blank range, DiNozzo, what do you think?"_

"_You're not going to pilates class tomorrow?" Tony asked jokingly, helping her to her feet_

"_You did good," Tony said more seriously_

_Kate smiled and started to say something, before she was shot. The shot came out of nowhere, and hit her in the centre of her forehead._

_Gibbs watched her lifeless body fall backwards in horror, screaming, "Kate!!!"_

_His roar seemed to have gotten Tony's attention, as the younger agent's blood-stained face turned towards him. Tony's expression changed from one of loss, sadness and disbelief, to one of anger and hatred. _

"_You!" Tony spat, pointing his finger at Gibbs, "This is your fault!"_

_"What?!" Gibbs shouted, trying to grasp the situation_

_"None of the would have happened if it wasn't for you!" Tony yelled_

_Gibbs remained speechless as Tony accused him of causing Kate's death._

"_If it wasn't for you, Kate would never have been here! She would never have been put in this situation! You, and your goddamn crusade to find this terrorist and bring him to justice cost Kate her life! It wasn't her fight! It was yours, and yours alone! How many more of us have to die before you realize that?!" Tony yelled, "Kate and I could have been happy together! But no, you have to come along and ruin it all, don't you?!"_

"_I'm sorry," Gibbs whispered, almost hitting himself in the head for not seeing sooner that Kate and Tony had been lovers_

"_Well that's not good enough!" Tony continued ranting, "You should no longer be here, you don't _deserve_ to work here any longer,"_

_Gibbs licked his lips and cleared his throat, "What do you want me to do?"_

"_Hand in your resignation, and leave. Go as far away from here as possible!" Tony snapped, before walking away_

_Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment, before kneeling on the ground next to Kate, "I'm sorry,"_

_Kate's unseeing eyes gazed back at him, seeming to mock him._

_Gibbs sighed and picked up her motionless hand, briefly pressing it against his face. He fought to control his breathing before speaking again, "I'm sorry that I was such a bastard, I hope you were happy with Tony," Gibbs paused, thinking hard. "I think it's time I moved on. Tony's right, I'm gonna have to hand in my resignation on this one,"_

_Gibbs sighed again, closing his eyes to get a hold of his emotions, "I never meant for you to get hurt,"_

_Before he stood, Gibbs closed Kate's eyes and whispered, "I'm gonna miss you,"_

* * *

That's it for chapter 13!...Hope it was okay! Please review! Tell me what you think... A few ideas wouldn't go astray either... 


	14. Chapter 14

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: THankyou all for the reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for all her help and fantastic work!

* * *

Tony walked into the lab carrying the director's hard drive, "Abs, I have a present for you,"

Abby whirled around from the monitor she was facing, "Tony! I think you've adopted Gibbs' sixth sense, I was just about to call you,"

Tony frowned, placing the hard drive on one of the tables, but before he could speak, Abby stuck a stick-it note to his shoulder.

"I tracked Jen's phone to this location, it hasn't moved in over an hour. Go get him!" Abby told him, excitedly

Tony headed for the door, with McGee on his heels, "Go work, Abs," Tony called over his shoulder

* * *

Tony slowed the car and pulled it off the road, "You sure they're just round the corner?"

McGee double checked his PDA, "Yep. But Tony, it looks like it may be on the road, or at least very close,"

Tony turned around in his seat, "Could be dumped there. But good point, we can't get our hopes up,"

"They won't be there, Jen isn't that stupid to leave her phone within a hundred miles of where she is, especially in this kind of situation," Ziva remarked

"You speaking from experience, Officer David?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrow

"Yes, I am," Ziva replied

Before Tony could question any further, his cell rang, "DiNozzo,"

"Tony, I have back-up on the way. The only closest people were the Feds, Fornell should be there…about now," Abby told him

Tony grumbled, "Thanks for the heads-up, Abs,"

"No problemo, just get him back safe and sound so I can kick his ass," Abby replied before hanging up

Tony put his phone away, then looked at the other two, "Fornell is on his way,"

"Oh, great," McGee mumbled

"Okay, ready gang?" Tony asked, not waiting for a response as he started the car again

"What about the FBI?" Ziva asked

Tony looked in his rearview mirror as a government sedan pulled up behind him, "Already here,"

As the two cars took off, Ziva and McGee pulled on bulletproof vests and primed their weapons. Tony turned the corner, pulling off the road and followed the directions McGee had given him previously.

"Okay, it should be fifty meters north-east from here," McGee told them.

Tony screeched the car to a halt and jumped out with his gun in hand. McGee and Ziva followed him at a close distance. As they closed in on a group of trees, Tony turned around and signaled that McGee and Ziva would go to the left and come around from the back, whilst two of the FBI agents would go to the right, and Tony and Fornell would approach from the front.

As each of the teams closed in on the target, it became clear that there was nobody there, and that the cell had in fact, been dumped.

"Great catch there, DiNatzo," Fornell quipped, holstering his weapon

"McGee, find the damn phone," Tony said, ignoring the jibe

Fornell and Tony walked back towards the cars, "So, are you going to tell me why I left a drug bust in the hands of local cops?"

Tony turned to Fornell, "Abby said you were free,"

"She also said this was a matter of life and death," Fornell responded dryly

"Gibbs has been kidnapped," Tony stated, "And we just found the kidnapper's phone,"

"So you know who it is?" Fornell asked

Tony sighed, putting his hands into his pockets, "Yeah, Jenny Sheppard,"

Fornell took a moment to process what he'd just heard, quirking an eyebrow at him, "Seriously?"

At that moment, Ziva walked up to the two men, "Tony, I know this area, I think I have an idea where they are,"

* * *

Gibbs pushed through the haze of unconsciousness, ignoring the protests of his body. As he opened his eyes, he realized that at some point, he'd rolled the chair onto its side, ending up on the floor. Blinking through his blurry vision, he noticed that he was alone again and was shivering uncontrollably.

He began trying to untie his hands from their position from behind his back. The rope bound his hands so tightly that he'd almost lost feeling in them. Groaning, he moved his hands back and forth, which only succeeded in sending shooting pains through his hands and up his arm.

Stifling a cry, he closed his eyes for a moment and tried to think of another plan to get out of this mess. However, before he could think of anything, the door creaked open and somebody – no, _two_ somebody's – headed in his direction. He tried to feign unconsciousness as the people approached him.

He felt the chair dragged into an upright position, before water was thrown over his head.

Gibbs shouted in surprise and opened his eyes.

"Jethro," Jen's face appeared in-front of his, "I believe it's time we got some answers,"

Gibbs glared at her, opting to stay silent. The splash of cold water was making itself known as it tried to make his body into an icicle. His shivering had increased triple-fold as his body temperature dropped dangerously.

Jen smirked at him, "I don't believe you realise how precarious your position is at the moment. Nobody knows where you are," Jen leaned closer to him, to whisper into his ear, "Nobody even knows you're missing,"

Gibbs stared at the floor to avoid her eyes as Jen continued talking to him.

"And besides, they all think you've lost your mind," Jen told him, "But I know better,"

Jen leaned back to look at his face, then gripped his chin and forcefully pulled his head around so that he faced her, commanding "Look at me,"

Gibbs closed his eyes in defiance. Jen slapped his face hard, "I said _look at me_,"

When he didn't open his eyes, Jen slapped his face again. Slowly Gibbs opened his eyes and leveled his gaze with hers.

"I _will_ break you, Jethro, and I will enjoy every moment off it," Jen told him darkly, releasing her grip, "I hope you're enjoying the drugs we gave you,"

Gibbs followed her progress with his eyes as she moved away from him, towards the man who'd followed her in – Lenny, if he remembered correctly.

Jenny smiled sweetly at him, "I'm going to leave you and Lenny alone for a while, I'll be back later, and as soon as you feel like talking…just scream out,"

Lenny advanced forwards with a feral grin, carrying a baseball bat. Gibbs silently groaned as he remembered the pain his – much smaller and weaker – ex-wife had caused with that implement. As Lenny brought the bat to his shoulder, Gibbs thought that at least he would be joining Kate soon.

* * *

That's it for chapter 14!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think! 


	15. Chapter 15

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou for all the reviews! I love them!

Also a huge thankyou to Kate for all her help and ongoing support!

This chapter is kinda short, but hopefully the next one will be longer...

* * *

"Okay, so when Jenny and I were in Europe, we got into a little bit of trouble and we had to run from the authorities for a while. In any case, as we headed down one of the main streets, Jenny went down a few side-streets and threw her cell down there, then doubled back and went the other way. The simple maneuver made the police go in the other direction thinking we went that way. That's what she's done here," Ziva explained

"What did you do to have to run from their police?" Fornell asked

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I was thinking about that, and I realised that I've been in this area before. In fact, Jenny has a few…acquaintances a few miles away from here. She rarely visits them, and the only reason I remember them is that when she became the director, this was one of the first places she came to. We found the package she came back with very strange and sus, so we examined it when we had the chance," Ziva continued

"What was in it?" Tony asked

"Well that's what made it so strange. A small toy boat, a ring and a set of those voodoo card things," Ziva replied, "Oh, and a torch,"

"Okay…" Tony said, wondering where she was going with this

"Jen tried to throw us off the trail by detouring and throwing the cell out here so we thought she was heading this way. But if we go half an hour back that way," Ziva pointed back the way they'd come, "We come to…what was it? 105 highway? And then turn right and follow the highway for around, maybe two hours or so, and turn right on the 524 highway. I'd have to get the location from our files and then I could give you the rest of the directions,"

"Okay, could you get the location whilst we're driving?" Tony asked as he headed towards his car

"Of course, I just – " Ziva replied

"Fornell, you coming?" Tony interrupted, turning back to the FBI agent

* * *

Gibbs rolled onto his side and yelped in pain. Groaning, he opened his eyes and tried to blink through the blurriness. He found that at some stage, somebody had taken him off the chair and onto the floor.

The warehouse was dark, but not so much that he couldn't see anything. There seemed to be some light emanating from somewhere, making the darkness slightly more bearable.

Gibbs closed his eyes again and tried to ignore the pain radiating throughout his body. The last thing he could remember before he lost consciousness was Lenny telling him that nobody would ever find his body.

Coughing, he gingerly moved onto his back, gritting his teeth to remain quiet. As he moved, he heard the sound of a chain moving. Frowning, Gibbs focused on his feet and noticed an added weight to one of them, telling him that he was chained to something, probably the wall. Not that he was planning on going anywhere of his own accord anytime soon.

He felt the room begin to warm up, almost as though somebody had turned a heater on. He groaned as the heat began to get uncomfortable. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and hoped for sleep or unconsciousness to claim him again.

In the background, he heard the sound of the door opening again and footsteps approaching him. Sweat trickled down his forehead and his back as he focused on the sounds approaching him. The footsteps stopped in front of him.

"Lenny told me that you didn't cooperate with him earlier," Jenny remarked

Gibbs remained silent and waited for the inevitable.

"Jethro, I know that you know where Kate is. Now, tell us where she is," Jenny demanded

"Kate's dead, Jen," Gibbs croaked, swallowing hard to try to relieve the pounding in his head

"Yet you were willing to be admitted to a mental institution for your beliefs," Jenny stated

"Maybe I'm going insane," Gibbs admitted, opening his eyes

"I don't think so. What evidence did you find that she was alive?" Jenny asked

"I was drawing conclusions on facts that weren't there," Gibbs croaked, "I just… I want her back. I wish she was alive, but she's not, she dead, Ari killed her,"

"And you would stake your career and – " Jenny demanded

"I loved her!" Gibbs exclaimed hoarsely, leveling his eyes at hers

"You told me that there was something in the autopsy report and that you found several other things which proved that Kate didn't die," Jenny responded

Gibbs groaned and swallowed against the bile that was rising in his throat. "I was there, Jenny, I saw Kate go down. I felt her blood splatter against my face…I watched her die,"

"Oh, don't go getting all emotional, Jethro, it doesn't suit you," Jenny replied

Gibbs opted to remain silent, not bothering to reply to her taunt.

"So, how are you feeling, Jethro?" Jenny asked

"Fantastic," Gibbs replied, suddenly feeling cold again

He saw Jenny smile, "I'd say you're probably going through withdrawals about now,"

Gibbs groaned in spite of himself, "What the hell did you give me?"

Jen laughed, "Well, they didn't actually tell me, but I do know that you are going to have an interesting next few hours," Jen paused, "When you start talking to us, we can give you something to relieve the pain…all you need to do is talk,"

Gibbs squinted at Jen as he began shivering, "Nothing to tell,"

"Yes, well, we'll soon find out," Jenny replied, then turned around and walked back to the door

Gibbs watched Jenny leave, wondering how long he'd be able to hold out. Whilst training in the marines, and again at NCIS, he'd gone through training in hostage situations. There he had been tried until he knew how far he would be able to hold on before eventually caving in. Everybody had a breaking point.

He moved slowly and carefully into the foetal position as his shivering increased, feeling as though somebody had thrown him into a frozen lake. He felt his muscles aching from the coldness and hoped that Tony and the rest of the team weren't too far away.

* * *

That's it for chapter 15!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think! 


	16. Chapter 16

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou all for the reviews! I loved them! Keep them coming

Also a huge thankyou to Kate for all her help and hard work!

Merry Xmas to everybody and a Happy New Year!

Warning: This chapter is kinda violent towards the end, so...hopefully it wasn't too bad, I got a bit carried away...

* * *

Tony swung hard to his right as they skidded around the corner and accelerated hard.

"Ah, Tony!" McGee explained as he slid over the seats and went head-first into the window, grunting "Ow!"

"That's why you're supposed to wear a seat belt, McGee," Tony quipped, watching in his rear-view mirror as the FBI car took the corner in a similar fashion

McGee put on his seat belt with a grunt and went back to his conversation with Abby, "Abby said that you should stop driving like a maniac,"

Tony smirked, "No actually, she said that I need to take better care of you, but really, you should know that you need to buckle up when you're in a car,"

McGee frowned, "You can hear her?"

Tony rolled his eyes, "How much further, Ziva?"

Ziva continued her conversation in another language; Tony wasn't sure which, before turning to him and holding up her hand to silence him. After several minutes, Ziva hung up and turned to Tony again, "Its 70 miles after the burnt out gas station. It's the only driveway until we reach the next town,"

"Did you get any info on the people who live there?" Tony asked

"There isn't a lot to know about them. They worked in Iran for a while, doesn't say what they were working on though…it's confidential. Then they moved over here and rented out this house. There isn't much more information on them than that, apart from not paying any of their bills…the only thing they have connected is their phone" Ziva replied

"And they've been using the phone a lot over the last few days," McGee cut in, "Abby's traced a few calls to the director. She's looking into it now,"

"Well, at least we know for sure that Gibbs will be there," Tony commented

"Not necessarily, Tony," McGee replied, "The director knows that we would be able to back-trace at least some of her calls or something, and she would be careful enough to realise that this place isn't very secure. Abby just sent through the blue prints, it looks like a derelict house, there's nothing to it. Nowhere to keep someone they're trying to hide,"

"I agree with McGee, it's too easy," Ziva responded

"Could be a trap," Tony suggested, concentrating on his driving as it turned into a dirt road, "They'd see us coming a mile away,"

"Yes, this dust isn't doing anything for us," Ziva commented

"Just keep your eyes open," Tony told them, "If anything looks sus, say something,"

* * *

Gibbs rolled onto his side and threw up again. Panting, he rolled back onto his back and wiped the sweat off his forehead. The last hour or so had been like torture, his temperature had been going up and down like a jack in the box, not to mention the pain going through his body.

Gibbs cried out as another round of shooting pains went through him, making him feel as if somebody had opened him up and was playing with his insides. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to block out the pain. But he began coughing, which rocked his body backwards and forwards, making the pain double in intensity.

He wished his hallucination of Kate would come back to keep him company. At least then, he would have something to take his mind of the agony he was going through.

As he concentrated on his breathing, he was roughly pulled to his feet, causing him to yell in pain.

"Shut up!" he heard Lenny exclaim before whacking him over his head

Lenny dragged him over to the chair and started tying him up. Gibbs took a deep breath before tackling Lenny to the ground. As he hit the ground, Gibbs' world exploded into pain and almost knocked him unconscious.

"You bastard," Lenny growled, turning over and hitting Gibbs several times, leaving him in a heap, "You think you can overpower me, Special Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. Before Gibbs could reply, Lenny kicked him in the stomach, leaving Gibbs gasping for air.

"Jenny's given me open rein on you, so long as you can still speak, I can do anything to you," Lenny informed him

"She's very generous like that," Gibbs muttered, in between gasps

Lenny growled and grabbed a fistful of Gibbs' hair, pulling him up onto the chair, "Sit!"

Gibbs squinted at Lenny and wondered if he could make another round with the other man. As he tried to make up his mind, he tilted to his left as his loss of balance made him unsteady. As he fell of the chair, Lenny noticed and quickly caught him, before making quick work of tying him up.

Lenny grinned as he finally succeeded in securing Gibbs to the chair, "Now, that wasn't hard, was it?"

"Well, you seemed to have a hard time doing it…" Gibbs croaked, looking up at Lenny through hooded eyelids

Lenny sneered at him, "Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I wanna know where Kate Todd is, the sooner you tell me, the sooner you get back to living comfortably,"

Gibbs lifted his head and tried to sit up straight, trying to maintain composure, even as his body began shivering again, "I'm a marine, I'm not gonna give up any information voluntarily,"

"I was hoping you would say that," Lenny smiled

Gibbs watched as Lenny pulled a bag out of nowhere and began sorting through the things in it. Eventually he pulled out a hammer and what looked like a scalpel. He turned around and faced Gibbs with a feral grin plastered on his face.

Lenny lifted the scalpel, "I always wondered about Chinese torture…would have been interesting to see if water torture works, but unfortunately we don't have the time. Have you heard of their paper cuts method?"

Gibbs nodded, quickly figuring out where this was going, but what did he have the hammer for?

Lenny looked at the scalpel, "Well we don't have time for that either, so I thought I'd settle for a scalpel. But I've also been a fan of trying to break every bone in somebody's body," he continued, lifting the hammer and eying it off, "There are two hundred and six bones in the human body…my record so far is forty one. If I remember correctly, it was an agent from Tel-Aviv, he held out for quite a long time, but in the end, the pain won out,"

Gibbs slightly raised his eyebrow and tried to control his expression as another round of searing pain ran through him, making the coldness he was experiencing seem like child's play.

"So, I'm gonna give you the option of which instrument you want to be tortured with," Lenny proposed, weighing the instruments as if to balance them, "It's all the same to me, in the end I _will_ get a result,"

Gibbs tried to focus on the instruments, but his vision kept blurring them out. He tried to make a coherent decision, or even make a smart come-back, but he couldn't seem to get his thoughts into order.

Gibbs heard Lenny laugh, then sigh loudly, "Ok, so I'll choose. Hmm, I think… I like the hammer, but the scalpel is just so much more fun…I think I'll use both…" Lenny paused and watched Gibbs for a while, before turning back to his instruments, "But which one first? Umm…ok, the hammer, then the scalpel later…"

Tilting his head down and to the side, Gibbs dry-heaved as he was attacked by a round of nausea, his stomach already empty from before.

He saw Lenny pick up the hammer and continue musing to himself, "But where should I start? His hands? So that he won't be able to write, or hold a gun properly again? Or his feet? So that he'll have difficulty walking, and will be out of commission for a couple of months?"

Closing his eyes, Gibbs tried to block out his surroundings and the pain from his body. He'd almost managed to lose consciousness when suddenly his face was slapped. He looked up and found Lenny towering over him.

"You'll want to be conscious for this part, we're gonna have ourselves a bit of fun," Lenny informed him, as he began dragging the chair to a workbench that Gibbs hadn't noticed before.

The chair tipped over a few times and Lenny corrected it twice, before deciding it was a waste of effort and just dragged the chair over the floor. When they got to the workbench, Lenny corrected Gibbs and the chair and smiled crazily at Gibbs.

"Did I mention I made up my mind?" Lenny asked him

Gibbs squinted through the drug-induced haze at Lenny, vaguely wondering where the hell Jenny had met him.

Lenny untied one of Gibbs' hands and put it on the workbench, tying it into place with some straps that happened to be there. He turned back to Gibbs and picked up the hammer with a smile, "I decided to start with your fingers," he paused to run the hammer over Gibbs' fingers. "Then I'll break the bones in your hand and work up to your elbow,"

Gibbs watched as the hammer slid over his arm to his elbow, then frowned, "How did you meet Jenny?"

Lenny raised an eyebrow, before smirking, "You're either very brave or very stupid. But I believe I'm asking the questions, now, where is Kate Todd?"

Gibbs' expression hardened, "Ari killed her,"

Lenny looked at him gleefully, "Wrong answer," he commented, before bringing the hammer down on the first of Gibbs' fingers.

* * *

That's it for chapter 16!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think!... 


	17. Chapter 17

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou all for the reviews! I really appreciate them!

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for her help and support

Sorry about the delay, got caught up with holidays and stuff, and now, on with the story...

* * *

As Tony crested a small hill, he saw four police cars in the distance on their way to their destination. Tony pulled the car off to the side and waited for Fornell to catch up to them.

"What do you think they're doing to him?" McGee asked nervously, as they exited the car

"Well, that depends on if Gibbs cooperates with them," Ziva replied, then added, "Which he won't,"

"You think they're torturing him?" McGee asked, imagining finding Gibbs' mutilated body

"Undoubtedly, I believe we should expect the worst," Ziva responded

"Well, I've already called an ambulance," Tony commented, walking towards the FBI car as it pulled up

Fornell got out of his car and looked around, then at Tony, "DiNatzo, you sure this is the right place?"

"Yeah," Tony replied, "Why?"

"Agent Southam back at headquarters pulled up some maps of this area and there isn't a lot out here," Fornell replied

"Well, there's a house not far from here and we – " Tony responded

"…think that's where they're holding Gibbs," Fornell finished up Tony's sentence, "Yeah, Southam looked at that as well, I think you'd be better off checking out the warehouse,"

"What warehouse?" Tony asked, looking at Ziva, then back at Fornell

"It's about 10km's north-east of the house," Fornell replied, "Southam's checking it out on a satellite as we speak,"

Tony thought about it for a while, then seemed to reach a conclusion, "Send two of the local cops to the house, the other two come with us to the warehouse,"

McGee looked back the way they came and watched the police cars on their way to where they'd stopped, "You might wanna tell them to turn off their sirens,"

Ziva looked at McGee with a surprised expression on her face, "Why do you think they have their sirens on?"

McGee looked at Ziva with a grin, "I'm guessing they wouldn't see much action out here, so when a call comes in that federal agents need back-up, they're gonna be pretty excited,"

"Good call, McGee," Tony said, slapping McGee on his shoulder, "Fornell, could you notify the local cops that we don't want to give the perps any warning that we're coming,"

Fornell turned to one of his agents and passed the message on, then turned back to Tony, "So, tell me again why Gibbs has been kidnapped,"

* * *

"_Good job, Kate, you did well," Gibbs said as he turned off the car's engine_

_Kate turned to him with a questioning look on her face, "It was a team effort, Gibbs, and I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing,"_

_Gibbs smirked, "Yeah, well, you still put in your two cents worth, and it ended up being your profiling that helped us nail the suspect,"_

"_No, it was your interrogation that got him talking," Kate argued_

"_You like arguing, don't you, Agent Todd?" Gibbs asked with a half-frown, half-smile on his face_

_Kate looked away shyly, "I just don't think I deserve to be congratulated,"_

"_Kate, look at me," Gibbs said, putting his fingers under her chin and turning her face so that she looked at him, "I only give credit where it is due,"_

_Kate finally smiled, "So, we have a four-day weekend, right?"_

_Gibbs removed his hand, "Unless anything big comes up, yeah, we do,"_

"_Gonna spend it working on the boat?" Kate asked with a grin_

_Gibbs laughed, "I do other things as well…"_

"_Like what?" Kate challenged_

_Gibbs rolled his head to the side as he tried to think of something, "Ah…you know…stuff,"_

"_That's very specific, Gibbs," Kate replied sarcastically_

"_Yeah, well you know me, I love details," Gibbs responded_

_Kate laughed as she got her bag, "Well thanks for the lift. Enjoy working on your boat, and I guess I'll see you on Tuesday,"_

"_Unless something comes up," Gibbs replied_

"_Unless something comes up," Kate agreed as she opened the passenger door, "Cya, Gibbs,"_

"_Kate," Gibbs nodded_

_Kate smiled and closed the door. Gibbs watched from the car as she checked her letterbox and then entered her house. Satisfied that she was safe, Gibbs turned on the engine and put the car into drive. As he pulled away from the curb, he saw a bright flash, followed almost instantly by a big boom._

_Gibbs sucked in a breath and looked in his rear-vision mirror, afraid of what he'd see. Behind him was the remains of Kate's house._

"_Kate!!!" he screamed – or tried to scream, as no sound came out of his mouth_

_He tried to scream again, but again, nothing came out. Suddenly the surroundings changed and he was on the rooftop, kneeling next to Kate's corpse. _

_Gibbs felt his mouth dry up and tears moisten his eyes before streaming down his cheeks._

"_No!" he tried to scream, but his voice came out all crackly_

_Gibbs sniffed and held Kate's body close to his, cradling her head in his lap. He sobbed uncontrollably and rocked Kate's body back and forth._

_Suddenly, he felt Kate's head move of it's own accord. Lifting his head to look at Kate's face, he saw Kate staring straight back at him, glaring at him._

"_Kate," he croaked in a whisper_

"_This is all your fault," Kate said back at him, angrily, "I was never meant to die,"_

_Gibbs felt fresh tears fall down his face and managed to choke out, "I'm sorry,"_

_Kate scoffed, "This should have been you, I had my whole life ahead of me,"_

_Gibbs put his head against his chest and began sobbing again. When he lifted his head up again, he was at Kate's burial. Taking a deep breath, he wiped his eyes and tried to get his emotions under control._

_He looked around at the faces of his collegues and saw the hatred staring back at him. They all thought he was responsible for her death, and they hated him for it. Looking back towards the ceremony, he tried to swallow past the guilt he felt._

_Hearing a commotion behind him, he turned just as Tony leapt at him. Suddenly, the rest of the team were on him, trying to get in as many kicks and punches as they could. Just above all the commotion, Gibbs saw Kate's ghost watching the team beating Gibbs up and laughing at him._

* * *

That's it for chapter 17!...Hope it wasn't too weird! Please review! Tell me what you think of it... 


	18. Chapter 18

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them!

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for all her help and support

This chapter is a bit longer than the others, but I didn't want to split it up. Enjoy!

* * *

Tony mentally rechecked over everything, his vest was on, his bullets were loaded, safety was off… He looked over at Fornell, who gave him a slight nod.

"Charlie team, in position," a voice came over Tony's headset

A few seconds later McGee's voice came over the headset, "Alpha team in position,"

Tony looked at the entrance to the barn, then at Fornell again, something didn't feel right.

"Bravo team, in position," one of Fornell's men said

Tony readied himself, getting himself into the mode before giving the command to move in. But before giving the command, something made him pause and wait.

After waiting several minutes, he heard the sound of a bird noise, coming from Fornell's direction. Tony looked over and saw Fornell gesturing at him to give the signal. Frowning, Tony shook his head, instead he found himself saying into the mike, "All units, hold your positions, wait out,"

Several moments later, Fornell arrived beside him and knelt down to his level, "What's going on?"

Tony turned to look at the older agent, "I don't know, something's not right,"

"You mean, apart from Gibbs being kidnapped by your director?" Fornell asked

Tony nodded, "I don't know what though. Have you heard about how the raid went at the house?"

"No," Fornell replied with a shake of his head, "No word yet,"

Tony sighed, "Something is just unnerving me,"

Fornell looked at him, then nodded, "Yeah, me too," Fornell paused, "You think they're all in there,"

Tony looked back at the barn, then shook his head, "Nah, doesn't make sense. You have a hostage, you put him in a different room so he can't bug everybody,"

"So where are the rest of them?" Fornell asked

Tony shrugged, "I don't know, and I don't wanna go in there and find out later that they're elsewhere. Maybe they were staying at the house,"

"Command, what is the delay?" one of Fornell's men asked over the headset

"Wait out, John," Fornell replied over the mike

"What do you think?" Tony asked, "If it was your call, what would you do? I don't want this to go pear-shaped,"

"I'd go with my gut, wouldn't move in till I was happy," Fornell replied honestly, "Could get the units to secure their positions, maybe get someone to secure the perimeter further out. How far out did you make 'em go?"

"I told them to set the perimeter at …" Tony paused and frowned, "You hear that?"

Fornell frowned and listened intently, after a while he heard what Tony was referring to, "Yeah,"

"This is command, all units take cover, we have a vehicle approaching," Tony said into his mike, then turned to Fornell, "You make sure our cars were covered?"

"Yeah," Fornell replied, "They shouldn't find 'em unless they went looking,"

Tony nodded before turning his attention to the car that pulled up. He saw a big looking man get out of the car, followed by Jen. The two were arguing about something, but Tony wasn't sure what as they were talking in another language.

As Jen and the man headed in their direction, Tony and Fornell hid deeper in the bushes until they were sure they wouldn't be seen. After a while, they heard the barn door creak open, then creak closed.

Tony and Fornell looked out from their hiding holes. Tony looked at Fornell, "You think there's more than them two?"

"Probably," Fornell replied

Tony closed his eyes, and breathed out deeply, "If we go in now, we probably won't get the others. But if we don't, we can follow the car, but Gibbs might…"

"It's your call," Fornell replied

Tony nodded, "You ready?"

"Ready as ever, you?" Fornell asked

Tony smiled, "All units, take your positions,"

The units responded that they were in position once again.

"All units, move in, go, go, go," Tony commanded into his mike, rushing forward with Fornell

Tony went to one side of the door, nodding at Fornell. Fornell kicked open the door as Tony entered with his gun drawn, followed quickly by Fornell. As they entered the warehouse, the scene they found took their breath away.

* * *

Gibbs woke up in a cold sweat. The pain of moving made him cry out in pain. He slowly looked around the warehouse, squinting in pain as he tried to make out any changes to the environment. He was still tied to the chair, but it had been moved away from the table.

Once deciding that nothing important had happened and that there was nobody in the area, Gibbs relaxed. He closed his eyes and let his head loll forward. He felt the pull of unconsciousness and let it take him, at least that way it would take the pain away.

As he felt the darkness surround him, he heard the warehouse door creak open, followed by two sets of footsteps. He heard the sound of Jenny and Lenny arguing about something, but he didn't have the energy to care about what they were arguing about.

Suddenly, he heard more doors open, followed by shouts. Frowning at the sudden commotion, he found the energy to lift his head and open his eyes. He saw around half a dozen cops pointing their guns at Jenny and Lenny. He recognized one of them as McGee.

He saw one of the teams circling around to cut off their exit, whilst another team burst through the main door into the warehouse. There was more shouting as Jenny and Lenny put up a fight.

Suddenly, Jenny began shooting, sending off a domino effect as they all began shooting. He saw Jenny's body rock backwards a few times as she was shot, followed by her body falling to the floor.

Gibbs lifted the corner of his mouth in an attempt at a smile. He let himself be dragged into the darkness of unconsciousness, safe in the knowledge that his team had finally come through.

After several moments, he heard people calling his name. As he felt somebody move his hands to untie him, the pain brought him fully back into consciousness, groaning his displeasure.

"Gibbs!" he heard Tony half-shout

Gibbs raised his head and looked dazedly into his senior field agent's eyes. He felt the rope fall from his hands, before somebody worked on the ropes around his torso.

"Gibbs?" Tony called again

Gibbs opened his eyes, belatedly realizing he'd closed them at some point. Suddenly the pressure around his torso went away and he was falling. He felt somebody catch him and lower him to the floor. As he looked up, he felt his eyes tear up, "Kate?" he murmured

Ziva looked at Tony, then back at Gibbs, "No, Gibbs, I'm Ziva. Kate's on her way,"

Gibbs frowned, "Kate's dead, I killed her" he told them, almost in a whisper

"McGee, where's the ambulance?" Tony asked

"They're five minutes out," McGee replied

Gibbs lifted his head and tried to sit up, but couldn't find enough energy

"Boss, lay down, don't want you to hurt yourself," Tony told him

"Gonna throw up," Gibbs told him, as he began shivering again

Ziva and Tony helped Gibbs sit up as he began dry-heaving. After several minutes, they helped him lie down again. Gibbs tried to curl himself into a ball as he felt like the temperature had dropped to minus thirty.

"I'll get him a blanket," Fornell said, getting up

Gibbs frowned and tried to follow Fornell's movements, but it made him feel nauseous. He groaned and pushed his face into his live pillow.

"Where's Tony?" Gibbs murmured, not lifting his head

Tony frowned, tilting his head to the side to study Gibbs, "Ah, right here, boss,"

Gibbs rolled his head to the side to see Tony, "Oh," he replied, reaching out his hand and accidentally slapping Tony, "You're real,"

Tony took Gibbs' hand, "Yeah, I'm real boss,"

Fornell chose that moment to come back with the blanket, laying it over Gibbs.

Gibbs appeared not to notice and kept looking at Tony, "I'm sorry I killed Kate,"

"You didn't kill Kate, boss," Tony told him, getting more worried about Gibbs' state of mind

"I know you blame me and hate me," Gibbs murmured, feeling the pull of unconsciousness get more prominent

"Boss, Kate is alive. And I never blamed you or – " Tony remarked

"And it's okay," Gibbs interrupted, ignoring Tony's comment, "I think I'll retire,"

"McGee?" Tony called, referring to the ambulance

"Any minute now, Tony," McGee replied

Gibbs raised one eyebrow and tried to get rid of the blanket covering him as his body temperature increased dramatically again. He cried out in pain as the movements set off injuries he'd forgotten about.

"Gibbs?" Fornell asked worriedly

Gibbs scrunched his eyes closed, and breathed deeply, trying to forget the pain.

Fornell put his hand on Gibbs' shoulder, offering his support. Fornell frowned, moving his hand to Gibbs' forehead, "You're burning up,"

"'m hot," Gibbs mumbled, rolling his head to the side and making a feeble attempt at removing the blanket

Fornell exchanged a worried look with Tony. Tony nodded and made a note to inform the paramedics that Gibbs was running a fever.

Gibbs sighed and closed his eyes, hearing the door to the barn creak open in the distance. He heard a lot of hustle and bustle as more footsteps came in his direction. Frustrated at all the noise, Gibbs groaned and opened his eyes to see the paramedics approach his location, led by McGee. Frowning, he tried to identify the source of the racket, his eyes eventually falling on the stretcher that the paramedics had brought in with them.

As they approached, Tony stood up and gave them a quick briefing on the situation. The older of the two paramedics knelt next to Gibbs and began a quick assessment of him.

"Hi, I'm Mark, I'm a paramedic. Can you tell me your name?" he asked Gibbs

Gibbs squinted up at the Mark, "Uh, I'm Joe,"

"Okay Joe, how old are you?" Mark asked

"Ah, actually, his name is Jethro Gibbs," Fornell interrupted

Mark nodded, mentally taking a note, before turning back to Gibbs

Gibbs closed his eyes, feeling like he'd been awake for a month, "Forty-something,"

"Jethro, can you open your eyes for me?" Mark asked. Gibbs lazily opened his eyes, with a yawn, "That's good, now, can you tell me where the pain is?"

"I'm tired," Gibbs mumbled, fighting to stay awake

"That's okay, but I need you to try and stay awake; can you do that for me?" Mark asked

Gibbs tried to nod, but gasped in pain, briefly closing his eyes before opening them again.

"Okay, now where does it hurt?" Mark asked

"Everywhere," Gibbs responded, "'N my hand,"

Mark nodded, "Which one,"

Gibbs shrugged and closed his eyes.

"Jethro, open your eyes for me," Mark told him, "Good, now, is it this hand?" he asked as he brushed Gibbs' right hand

Gibbs screamed, sitting bolt up-right and cradling his injured hand. Mark apologized and turned to his colleague, exchanging a look with him, "We need to get him to a hospital ASAP,"

"How bad is it?" he heard Tony ask, as he closed his eyes

"It's bad," Mark said simply, "Jethro, open your eyes for me, that's good. Now, we'll have you at the hospital in no time, okay?" Mark asked

"Mmm," Gibbs mumbled, closing his eyes

"Jethro, stay with me," Mark said.

"So…tired," he mumbled

"Gibbs, stay awake," Fornell's voice came to him through the darkness

Gibbs tried to open his eyes, but couldn't find the strength to open them. He heard Mark call him but knew that he was losing the battle. With an inaudible sigh, he let the warmth and softness surround him, taking him away from the pain.

* * *

That's it for chapter 18! ...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think! 


	19. Chapter 19

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: THankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them!

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for her help and support!

Sorry about the huge delay, our internet has been down for the past week or so and i haven't been able to upload anything...something about the router or something... anyway, on with the fic...

* * *

"Jethro, can you open your eyes for me?" Mark requested, taking Gibbs' pulse

When Gibbs didn't reply, Mark called him again, "Jethro, open your eyes,"

"He's not waking," Ziva stated the obvious

"Jeff, we need to go now," Mark told his colleague

The team helped lift Gibbs onto the stretcher. Tony ran alongside the paramedics, telling the rest of the team he was going to accompany Gibbs to the hospital.

Ziva and Fornell watched the ambulance scream away into the distance, wondering whether Gibbs was going to make it. The condition he'd been in when they'd entered the warehouse had astonished them. He'd been covered in bruises and blood, and had looked really weak.

Fornell sighed, turning to Ziva, "You know, in all the years I've known Gibbs, I've never seen him look so vulnerable, and I've never actually worried about his survival, but now I'm very worried,"

Ziva watched Fornell walk away, before replying to his back, "Me too,"

* * *

McGee watched the crime scene get cleared up. There was debris everywhere and the clean up was sizeable. Thankfully, Fornell had lent a few agents to help out. McGee figured Fornell was just worried about Gibbs, but who wouldn't be?

Sighing to himself, McGee watched as Jimmy entered the crime scene, bringing along a stretcher. As he made his way to the young medical examiner, McGee promised himself not to worry about Gibbs' condition so that he could focus on the job at hand.

"Palmer," McGee called as he walked to Jimmy

"Wow, what happened in here?" Jimmy asked, looking around

McGee frowned, wondering how someone could be so out of the loop, "This is where Gibbs … " McGee left the sentence hanging, hoping Jimmy could fill in the blanks

"Oh, yeah, right," Jimmy stuttered, looking around as if seeing it differently

"Jimmy, you can do this, right?" McGee asked, feeling a bit worried for him

"Of course, otherwise Ducky wouldn't have sent me over," Jimmy replied, as if saying it made him feel more confident

"Okay, start over here. They've all already been photographed and sketched, so they are all yours," McGee announced, showing Jimmy to the first body

"How many are there?" Jimmy asked

"Two," McGee replied

"Is that all?" Jimmy asked, looking at some blood stains on the floor

"The live ones were taken to the hospital," McGee responded dryly

"Oh, right," Jimmy replied, kneeling beside the first body and peeling back the cover that someone had put over their head. Jimmy did a double-take before turning to McGee, "This is the director,"

"Yes, it is. Look, Jimmy, if you need me to get someone else …" McGee offered

"Ah, no, I can do this," Jimmy replied, before getting to work

McGee inwardly sighed, before leaving Jimmy to get his job done. As he decided to help bag and tag evidence, Ziva walked up to him.

"How goes it, McGee?" she asked

McGee frowned, "It's a big clean up,"

"Yes," Ziva replied, surveying the warehouse, "Thankfully we have a lot of help,"

McGee nodded, "Ziva, so what are you going to do now that this is over?"

"I will stay here until I find out that Gibbs will survive - " Ziva replied

"What if he doesn't?" McGee interrupted, letting his fears get the worst of him

"He's a strong man, McGee," Ziva responded, trying to be optimistic, "Once he's in a fit condition again and has been reunited with Agent Todd, and hopefully her return will not cause a disturbance. We can't be sure that we've gotten all of Jenny Sheppard's team…not yet,"

"Wouldn't the rest of your team have that info?" McGee asked

"They should, yes, but there may be a sleeper or something. We won't be sure that everything will be fine for a few months. Given that everything goes well…I'll probably be going back to Tel-Aviv," Ziva responded

McGee nodded, then cocked his head to the side, "What happened with Kate coming into DC? Wasn't someone going to pick her up?"

"I've already arranged that," Ziva replied, glancing at her watch, "She'll probably be arriving in DC around now,"

* * *

Abby rubbed her hands together and glared at her computer, anxiously waiting for somebody to give her an update. She'd half considered getting in her car and driving to the team's location so that she would know what was going on. But she'd decided to stay, reasoning that they needed her here, in the lab, doing support and comms…or some such fiddle-faddle.

She had no idea what was going on over there, and that's what got to her the most. She knew that Gibbs was injured, anybody with half a brain knew that, but she didn't know how badly. And then Tony told her to send Jimmy down, she'd got even more worried, wondering if Gibbs was dead.

Abby's foot restlessly tapped at the ground, seemingly having grown a mind of its own, as Abby willed the phone to ring.

"Come on, baby," Abby mumbled, before closing her eyes and counting to ten

Opening her eyes, Abby squinted at the phone, "Okay, on the count of three, you will ring," she commanded, daring the phone to disobey her

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!!" she exclaimed, bouncing out of her seat and reaching for the phone

Abby huffed when the phone continued to remain silent, "Fine, have it your way, but I will find a way to make you – "

Abby stopped mid-sentence as the phone rang, making her forget what she was saying and grab the phone, "Tony?! McGee?! Who is this?"

"Abs, calm down. It's McGee," McGee's voice sounded on the other end of the phone

"Damn it, McGee! Why haven't any of you called me with an update? I'm going outta my mind here!" Abby exclaimed

"Sorry Abs, we've been flat out, there's a lot to clean up," McGee responded, "I was just calling to see how you're doing and – "

"Gibbs is the one who was kidnapped! Not me! And then I hear you guys calling for me to send Palmer out, how do you think I'm feeling? And Gibbs can't die! He hasn't even seen my new tat yet! And I don't know what I would do if – " Abby replied

"Abby! Calm down!" McGee interrupted, "Gibbs is fine…well he not _fine_, but he's not dead. He left about half an hour ago in the ambulance, Tony went with him, they should be at – "

"What happened to Tony?! Nobody told me he was injured! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?! I would've driven out to – " Abby exclaimed

"Abby!" McGee interrupted sharply, then in a calmer tone, "Tony is not injured, he's just accompanying Gibbs to the hospital," McGee sighed, "Gibbs was in bad shape when we got here, but he's gonna be okay,"

"Are you sure? How do you know he's gonna be okay?" Abby asked anxiously, rubbing her hands together

McGee allowed himself a small smile, "My gut,"

"But your gut isn't Gibbs' gut, it's not the same …" Abby responded

"Gibbs told me to trust my gut," McGee commented

"…and it's not filled with coffee like Gibbs' gut," Abby continued, ignoring McGee's interruption

McGee sighed, "Look, Abs, I gotta go, Ziva's sending me the evil eye and she looks like she's gonna kill me if I don't start working again soon,"

"Okay…but keep me updated! I wanna know the second anything happens! And if I find out you've been holding out on me, I will kill you myself," Abby threatened, pointing her finger at the phone

"Will do, cya later Abs," McGee replied, hanging up

Abby put down the phone and sighed, "I hate being left out of the loop,"

Looking into the distance, Abby subconsciously played with her rings, hoping that Gibbs was going to be okay. Hmphing to herself, she frowned at the wall and told it, "I think I need caffeine,"

As she voiced the thought, a caf-Pow! was set on the desk beside her and a voice said in her ear, "Then this should help,"

"Thanks," Abby replied, still gazing into the distance

Abby picked up the cup of caf-Pow! and had a sip, before whirling around and coming face-to-face with an old friend. Abby gasped and dropped the caf-Pow! as she hugged the other woman, exclaiming "Kate!"

* * *

That's it for chapter 19!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think... 


	20. Chapter 20

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them!

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for her help and support!

Sorry about the very very very huge delay. I got all caught up with uni and moving house (excuses, excuses...).. anyway, it's holidays now so I'll try to be good and update regularly (fingers crossed) because I really want to get this fic done - I've got heaps of ideas for new fics, but I don't wanna start them yet, otherwise I'll have too many on the go at once and I'll lose track.

So I decided I'd post two chapters this time instead of one - although they are small, so I shoulda just made them one, but anyway.. anyway, on with the fic...

Hope you like it: D And hopefully my writing isn't any different from the last time I posted

* * *

Tony sat on one of the hard hospital chairs, staring at the double doors that Gibbs had been rushed through over two hours ago. He had insisted that he go in with them, but the nurses and an orderly had hauled him back, telling him only medical staff were allowed in there. 

"Only medical staff, my ass," Tony mumbled, "They would have let Gibbs through if he wanted to be with one of his agents,"

Ducky had been here when he arrived, then after talking with Tony, had disappeared to find out about Gibbs' condition, leaving Tony on his own.

Tony looked at his watch, only vaguely noting the time. Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair, wondering whether things could get any worse. Probably, things always got worse before they got better. Rolling his eyes, Tony turned in the chair, putting his legs over the other chairs and laying across them.

With a deep breath, Tony closed his eyes and decided to try to get some sleep.

"Tony!" he heard someone exclaim

Tony opened his eyes and sat up, looking in the direction of the voice. As his eyes settled on the speaker, his jaw hit the floor and he widened his eyes in surprise, "Kate!!"

Kate smiled and gave him a big hug, "I've missed you so much!"

Tony laughed and pulled back to look at her, "You missed _me_? Well, Kate, what can I say?" he teased

Kate gave him a small punch on his arm, "Yeah, well I know you missed me a helluva lot more,"

Tony dipped his head, "You're probably right, you didn't have to attend your funeral,"

Kate sighed, "I didn't have a choice,"

Tony pulled her into a hug again, "Yeah, I know. I didn't mean to accuse you. I'm just glad your back,"

"Me too," Kate replied, "I just wish it was under better circumstances,"

Tony nodded, then frowned, "So, did you actually visit Gibbs or was he really hallucinating?"

"I visited him once," Kate replied, "Then they tightened up security and I almost had to be relocated,"

"Huh, Gibbs told us you visited, like, at least 3 times," Tony responded, "Strange,"

"So, how is he now?" Kate asked

"Don't know, Ducky went to find out and hasn't come back yet," Tony replied, "Kate?"

"Yeah?" Kate asked

"He didn't look good," Tony warned, "I just want you to be prepared,"

"That bad?" Kate asked fearfully

"Yeah," Tony responded, "He wasn't making sense at the scene,"

Kate nodded and sat down, then gave an attempt at a smile, "Tony, you remember when you and Gibbs went undercover as arms dealers?"

Tony nodded and sat down next to her, "Yeah,"

"I was a bit late getting the memo about Gibbs getting 'shot', and when I saw him laying there with blood pouring through his shirt…" Kate looked at Tony, "Kinda scared me,"

"Got feelings for the boss, Kate?" Tony asked with a teasing smile

"For a grumpy old ex-marine? Of course not. He's not my type," Kate replied

"What a load of bullshit," Tony responded with a laugh, "It's about time you two do something about you two before Abby and I start interfering,"

"And how long do you think you've known?" Kate asked, examining Tony's face for clues to how much he knew

"From day zip, you never fooled me," Tony replied, "Besides, that's old scuttlebutt,"

Kate smiled, "So, fill me in, what's the new goss?"

"Well, how far back do you want me to go? There's a lot that's happened," Tony asked

"Well, I think we have time," Kate told him

"Okay, first there was…ah, where's Abby?" Tony asked

"She had to get caffeine; she was starting to have withdrawal symptoms because it'd been to long since her last caf-Pow!" Kate replied

"Ouch," Tony sympathized

"Yeah, anyway, fill me in on the scuttlebutt," Kate demanded

"Okay, you remember Jimmy Palmer?" Tony asked

"Yeah," Kate nodded, "Vaguely,"

"A little birdy told a friend of mine that they saw the NCIS van a rocking, and Jimmy stepped out afterwards followed by…" Tony told her, relaying all the gossip she had missed

* * *

Ducky walked out of the double doors and looked at the members of the team. Tony and Kate were sitting together with Kate asleep on Tony's shoulder and Tony's head ontop of Kate's. Abby was laying down on a chair opposite Kate and Tony, curled up and cuddling a caf-Pow! 

Ducky sighed and walked up to the sleeping team members. As he approached, Tony opened his eyes as if he'd been in a light sleep, and looked at Ducky. Tony's movement seemed to wake Kate, who sat up as soon as she saw him.

"Ducky?" Kate asked

"What?! What'd I miss? What happened?" Abby asked as she woke up

"Duck?" Tony asked when Ducky remained silent

"He's in a critical condition. The next few hours will be touch and go," Ducky replied

Kate gasped and tightened her grip on Tony's arm, "How badly was he injured?"

"He has multiple injuries, the most concerning was his right hand. He may not be able to use it again. And then, he's been drugged, he's dehydrated and he has hypothermia," Ducky answered

"Can we go see him?" Abby asked

"Not yet, he's still in surgery," Ducky replied, sitting down next to Abby

"Still?" Tony asked, confusion evident in his voice, "He's been in there for hours,"

"He had internal bleeding, it took longer than expected to stem the flow," Ducky answered

"He still would have been out by now," Abby told him, "Ducky, stop sugar coating this, we may not like his condition, but we still want to know what that is,"

"Abigail…" Ducky started, then sighed, "There were complications, he went into cardiac arrest twice whilst I was in there. We almost lost him,"

"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" Kate asked

"I hope so, Caitlin, I hope so," Ducky replied

* * *

Okay, that's it for chapter 20! But don't go anywhere, chapter 21 is just round the corner - or at least should be already there if you've got this chapter... 


	21. Chapter 21

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them!

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for her help and support!

And more of the good stuff...

* * *

The team spent the night in the waiting room, eager to hear anything more about Gibbs's condition. They spent most of that time filling Kate in on what she'd missed since she'd been away, but found that she knew most of it anyway as she'd been receiving regular updates through the FBI.

Just after midnight, the doors to surgery opened once again and just as every time before, everybody on the team looked at the surgeon who walked through. The surgeon glanced around the room before spotting Ducky and walking towards him.

"Doctor Mallard," the surgeon approached him, as the rest of the team stood up

"How is he? Can we go see him? Is he okay? – " Abby asked anxiously

"Abs," Tony said loudly, interrupting Abby's flow of words as he put his hands on her shoulders

The surgeon looked at the rest of the team, "And you must be here for Agent Gibbs,"

"Is he out of surgery?" Tony asked

"We've just taken him to intensive care," the surgeon replied, "He has quite a few injuries and his condition… could be better. On top of that, he lost a lot of fluids and was drugged, so – "

"What drugs?" Abby interrupted

"We haven't got the results back yet and – " the surgeon replied

"Why not? The lab shouldn't take that long to return them…doesn't that mean you can't give him anything until you know?" Abby interrupted again

The surgeon paused for a moment as if to gather his thoughts, "Yes, you are correct. If he wakes before we know, we won't be able to give him any pain killers. He is on antibiotics – as expected – they won't react with any of the drugs he was likely given,"

Abby huffed as Kate asked, "Can we see him?"

"You can but your stay will have to be short, he's still not out of the woods yet. He's in a critical condition, the next 24-48 hours will be crucial for his recovery," the surgeon told them

"Is he stable?" Ducky asked

The surgeon grimaced briefly, "I don't like using the term 'stable' in these situations. His condition fluctuates quite a bit as you saw during surgery. At the moment, we're expecting anything,"

"I see," Ducky said quietly, then louder, "Well, let's go see him,"

"Okay, right this way," the surgeon told them, walking towards another set of doors. He led them down several corridors before going up two levels in an elevator.

As they were passing down another corridor, the surgeon's pager beeped. The surgeon sighed and looked at the group apologetically, "Sorry, I have to take this. ICU is the ward after the next, Agent Gibbs is room 5,"

Abby watched the surgeon go, then sighed as they turned to go into the next ward, "We should get pagers, I want a pager,"

"No, you don't. They drive you nuts," Tony responded

"How would you know?" Kate asked, more out of something to talk about than a real desire to know

"We had them in Philly. Sometimes, when you're really tired – although sometimes when I wasn't that tired at all – when the pager goes off, you have no idea what it is. I remember once, trying to answer my phone, but the noise didn't stop, so I tried hitting the alarm clock, I think I ended up breaking my bedside light," Tony paused, thinking

"You're light, Anthony?" Ducky asked

"Ah, yeah. It was getting really annoying – the pager that is – and I couldn't figure out what it was," Tony scoffed, "I even tried smothering my watch, thinking it was that. Anyway, I tried putting the light on so I could figure it out, but reached too far and knocked it off the table,"

"Did you turn the pager off?" Abby asked in amusement

"Nope, think I ended up cuddling it," Tony responded

Kate smirked and shook her head as Abby and Ducky shared a chuckle.

"We're here," Tony told them as they entered ICU

"He said room 5, didn't he?" Kate asked

Kate's question was met with silence as the team walked to Gibbs' room.

"Oh god," Kate gasped as she saw Gibbs laying prone on the bed

Tony exhaled slowly through clenched teeth as he heard Ducky mutter, "Oh dear, Jethro,"

"Boss-man," Abby sniffed

Gibbs was laying on his back with an oxygen tube coming from his mouth that was breathing for him. There were what looked like dozens of tubes and wires attached all over his body.

"He looks so pale and … so un-Gibbs," Abby commented

Kate approached the bed and took Gibbs's hand in hers and gasped, "His hand is so cold,"

"Must be the hypothermia," Tony commented, moving closer to the bed, glancing at the monitors and the IV solution and unit of blood hanging next to it. Tony sighed, briefly touching the IV line and noting it was warm, "He'll pull through…right Duck?"

Ducky glanced up from the end of the bed where he was reading Gibbs's charts. Ducky paused for a moment before replying, "Jethro is a strong man, he's pulled out of any and every physical injury he's had. But this is unlike any injury he's had before, it's not even on the same scale,"

"What are you saying Ducky?" Kate asked, her eyes tearing up

Ducky sighed, "I think we should wait until we know more. Jumping to conclusions is not going to help us,"

"Hope we don't have to wait long," Abby remarked

"Well, Jethro was never the patient type," Ducky responded

"Perhaps we should – " Tony was interrupted by a noise at the bed

The team turned to see Gibbs's limbs jerking and shaking and the heart monitor scream.

"Gibbs!" Kate gasped, moving to help lessen his movements

"Kate!" Ducky called, pulling her back and leading her and the rest of the team out of the room, "He's having a seizure," Ducky told them as a herd of nurses and doctors came running into the room

The team looked on into the room with dismay as Gibbs's body continued moving uncontrollably.

* * *

Cool bananas. That's it for chapter 21! The next ch shouldn't be too long away, or at least won't be as long as you had to wait before...Hope you liked it! Please review! 


	22. Chapter 22

**Death of a Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou all for the feedback! I love it!

Sorry about not updating sooner, i had this chapter written out for a while on paper, but hadn't put it onto my computer till today. hopefully the next one won't take as long, that's also already written on paper, but i might have to make some changes, it's a bit too OOC - i hadn't had much sleep when i wrote it. anyway, short chapter but hope you like it:-D

* * *

_Gibbs looked up from sanding his boat as he heard his stairs creak, telling him somebody was on their way down._

_"Tony," Gibbs stated, frowning slightly, "What are you doing here?"_

_"Surprised to see me?" Tony asked_

_"Thought you were in New York," Gibbs replied_

_"Yeah, I lied," Tony responded_

_"I kinda figured that," Gibbs replied dryly, "So, what's up?"_

_Tony smiled to himself, before pulling his gun our and pointing it at Gibbs_

_Gibbs raised his eyebrows and put down his sander, "Tony..? What are you doing?"_

_"I just thought," Tony took a shaky breath, "I'm so sick of this shit! You should be the one who's dead, not Kate,"_

_"And not a day goes by that I don't wish it to be that way," Gibbs replied, taking a breath, "But, killing me won't bring her back – as Ducky keeps pointing out to – " Gibbs said, taking a step towards Tony_

_"Hey! Stay back!" Tony barked, "Kate shouldn't be dead! You killed her!"_

_"Tony, calm down," Gibbs told him_

_"Don't tell me to calm down!" Tony yelled, "You ruined our future!! We could have been happy together! But you! You couldn't stand that thought! So you ruined it!"_

_"Tony – " Gibbs tried to reason_

_"No, don't – " Tony interrupted, cocking the gun, "I don't wanna hear it!"_

_Gibbs shut his mouth and slowly raised his arms._

_Tony took a step forward and leveled the gun at Gibbs head, "I won't let you kill anybody else,"_

_Suddenly Gibbs ducked to his left, trying to get behind his boat. At the same time, Tony fired, hitting Gibbs's shoulder. Gibbs fell to the ground and tried to scream, but nothing came out. Panting deeply, Gibbs held his shoulder and tried to get up._

_Tony walked over to Gibbs and pushed his back down with his foot. Gibbs closed his eyes as Tony leveled the gun at Gibbs head and squeezed the trigger._

_When Gibbs opened his eyes, he looked around wondering what had happened. Frowning, Gibbs found he was on a battlefield. People were running in the opposite direction to the one he was facing._

_One of the men stopped and shook him, saying something, but it was as if someone had turned the sound off. The man shook his head at him before running off._

_Gibbs turned around to see what they were running from and suddenly was knocked off his feet from an explosion. Gasping from breath, he got up and found himself in a tunnel._

_Breathing heavily, Gibbs looked around and saw Kate standing behind him about fifty meters away, silhouetted against the bright light at the end of the tunnel_

_"Kate!" Gibbs called_

_Kate turned around and walked in the opposite direction_

_"Kate!" Gibbs called again, jogging towards her. But as he sped up, Kate moved faster in the opposite direction_

_"Kate! Wait up!" Gibbs called, speeding up till he was running_

_Kate kept moving away from him, moving faster as he did and getting closer to the bright light_

_Gibbs stopped and put his hands on his knees – bending over to regain his breath. Gibbs straightened up and put his hand up to shield his eyes from the bright light, trying to see Kate_

_"Kate!" he called_

_He waited for a while before moving towards the light again_.

* * *

"We're losing him!" One of the nurses called

The nurse resumed compressing Gibbs's chest as another nurse continued squeezing an air bag attached to the tube from Gibbs's mouth.

"Charge to 280," the doctor called, rubbing the paddles together

The noise of the defibrillator whined up to its peak, teling the group of doctors and nurses that it was ready to be used again

The doctor poised the paddles over Gibbs's chest, shouting, "Clear!" before pressing the paddles against Gibbs's chest

Gibbs's body convulsed as the electric shock ran through him. The doctors and nurses watched his ECG as it returned with no rhythm again

"Charge to 300," The doctor called, "How long has it been?"

"Ten minutes," one of the nurses piped up

The doctor sighed, before shouting "Clear" and depressing the defibrillator over Gibbs's body

Again Gibbs convulsed and his ECG showed no rhythm

"John, he's gone, leave it," one of the nurses told the doctor

"He's not gone till I say he's gone," the doctor snapped, "Charge to 300!"

* * *

That's it for this chapter! Hope you liked it! Please review! tell me what you think 


	23. Chapter 23

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou for all the reviews! I love them!

Again, sorry about the delay, our internet wasn't working for a few weeks, so I had this one prepared, but no way to post it, hopefully the internet connection will be nice in the future. anyways, on with the story

hope you like it!

* * *

"Kate!" Gibbs called again, wondering to the end of the tunnel

The bright light enveloped him, causing Gibbs to try to shield his eyes. The fog was so heavy; he could barely see his hand as he held it in front of his face. Gibbs turned around and tried to see something, anything.

He heard laughing to his left and turned in that direction, trying to see through the mist.

"Hello?" Gibbs called out, "Kate?"

As Gibbs began to move in the direction of where he'd heard the laughter, he stopped. Suddenly he realised where he was. Remembering when Abby had recounted for him the stories from people who'd had near death experiences. Gibbs looked around at the heavy mist, the bright light he'd been following to catch Kate and saw it as what it was, death.

Gibbs knew that if he was here, he must be dead, or near to dead. Hearing the sounds of more laughter, Gibbs wondered who was laughing and wondered whether or not he wanted to go back to the land of the living. A place of pain and suffering, where everyone who was important to him had been taken away.

Gibbs thought of his brother, who had been killed in a freak accident when he was ten. Gibbs and his brother had been playing in a construction site when one of the walls had collapsed, trapping his brother underneath. He'd died on the way to hospital.

Gibbs's father had been killed in the line of duty, he wasn't sure how, the military had never released that information. Gibbs's mother had died of cancer some fifteen years ago.

And of course, Kate who'd also been killed in the line of duty, but under Gibbs's watch.

Gibbs sighed and thought through his options, to stay or not to stay.

* * *

"Clear!" the doctor called again, bringing down the paddles on Gibbs's chest again

Gibbs's body convulsed again and again his ECG showed no rhythm

The nurses resumed their CPR as the doctor shouted for the defibrillator to be charged up again, mentally thinking to himself that this was his last shot.

"Clear!" the doctor called once again

The doctor brought the paddles down on Gibbs's chest, causing his body to convulse again before Gibbs sat bolt upright in the bed, his eyes flying open

"Whoa!" the doctor called, placing his hands on Gibbs's shoulders, attempting to calm him down, even as he was doing a dance of joy on the inside.

Gibbs gagged and tried to get the tube out of his mouth, fighting against the doctor's arms. One of the nurses came to the doctor's aid and helped to restrain Gibbs.

As Gibbs continued to fight, the doctor told him that if he wanted the tube out, he'd have to calm down. Eventually Gibbs took heed of his words and stopped resisting.

"Ok," the doctor said, breathing out to calm himself as he undid the tape holding the tube against Gibbs's mouth, "I want you to breathe out deeply, on three, okay? One...two… three,"

Gibbs breathed out as the doctor pulled the tube out of his mouth. One of the nurses stepped forwards and placed an oxygen mask over his face and eventually gave him a cup of water.

"Thanks," Gibbs croaked at the nurse and handed the cup back

"Welcome back," the doctor congratulated him as the rest of the medical team filed out of the room, "There's a few people here to see you as soon as you're up to it,"

Gibbs squinted at the doctor, trying to keep his eyes open as a wave of tiredness washed over him, "Who?"

"Most of your investigation team," the doctor replied

"Really?" Gibbs croaked, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice, "Were they forced?"

"Sorry?" the doctor asked

"I just, didn't think they'd want to see me," Gibbs responded, briefly closing his eyes before opening them again and studying the doctor

The doctor paused for a moment before eventually asking, "Why not?"

Gibbs shrugged and stifled a yawn, "I think…they hate me," Gibbs paused and studied the opposite wall, before sighing and looking back at the doctor, "Look, I don't really wanna discuss this now, to tell the truth I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open,"

"That's understandable," the doctor replied with a smile, "Why don't you get some sleep and I'll tell your visitors they can come by later?"

"Thanks, doc," Gibbs replied, falling asleep before his head hit the pillow

* * *

"Ziva and McGee picked up the other three guys involved in Gibbs's kidnapping and the plot to kill the president," Tony told Ducky, leaning back in his chair by Gibbs's bed, "They're interrogating them now, last I heard, McGee wanted to play bad cop,"

Ducky smiled, "Yes, and I heard that he broke one of the suspect's arms,"

Tony broke into a grin, "Yeah, the guy said something McGee didn't like and he was a bit more forceful than he needed to be. But it was accidental, as much as McGee may insist that it wasn't,"

Ducky made a humming sound and looked towards the bed, "And when will young Timothy and Ziva be joining us?"

Tony shrugged one shoulder, "I told them they could leave the interrogations another day or two, and come down here as soon as those guys were in custody, but McGee and Ziva said they felt that these guys had waited long enough to come to justice after what happened to Gibbs and they wanted to do it now. I think they just didn't like that it took us four days to find them,"

"They feel they let Gibbs down?" Ducky summarized

Tony nodded, "Well, I can't speak for them, but I certainly feel that way,"

"Anthony, Gibbs would be proud if he could see how you all worked these last few days. I don't believe he would be happy about how little you all slept, but I know that you worked to the best of your abilities," Ducky told him

"Yeah," Tony sighed, looking back to the bed as Gibbs stirred

"Do you know what is to become of Ziva?" Ducky asked

Tony turned back to Ducky, "She was talking about going back to Tel-Aviv, she hasn't made any decisions yet though. I was gonna talk to Morrow about it,"

"I see," Ducky replied, "But Tom is only here for four weeks,"

"Yeah, or until the SecNav finds someone to – "

"KATE!!!" Gibbs screamed, sitting bolt upright in the bed

Tony jumped and reached for his gun, before realizing there was no threat and instead went to Gibbs's bedside to try to calm him down.

When Gibbs noticed Tony, he became more agitated and began trying to get out of bed, mumbling to himself. Ducky stepped forward to help, asking Gibbs what was wrong.

Gibbs took a deep, yet shaky, breath and tried to explain, "I'm sorry, Tony, I didn't know…I didn't mean to take her away from you and I know you're angry, but I got so involved in the case and not what was going on around me and I should've seen it – "

"Boss, what are you talking about?" Tony interrupted, confused

" – and you have every right to be angry, I would be too. It was my fault she died and I should have done everything to stop it – " Gibbs continued as if Tony hadn't said anything, getting more agitated and emotional as he continued talking

"Jethro – " Ducky interrupted, putting his hand on Gibbs's shoulder to calm him

Gibbs shook Ducky's hand off and looked at Tony, "I'm sorry and …and I'm gonna resign so you don't have to deal with seeing me everyday, effective immediately. Because I made a mistake, a stupid mistake and I need to leave to prevent people from dying – "

"Jethro!" Ducky interrupted, trying to stop the flow of the words

" – you two would have been so happy together. I – I'm sorry I killed Kate and I wish – " Gibbs continued

"GIBBS!" Ducky shouted, finally making Gibbs shut up

Gibbs looked between the two men, tears sparkling in his eyes as he tried to understand why they were so calm.

"Jethro," Ducky said, more calmly, "For starters, you are not resigning. Secondly, Kate is alive, and thirdly Tony and Kate – "

"What?!" Gibbs asked incredibly, "No, Kate is dead, I killed her. I … I hoped she'd still be alive, but I – I'm going insane, I think – I was hallucinating, she – "

A nurse and a doctor came in to see the source of the noise, the doctor asking "What's going on in here?"

"Jethro," Ducky said, placing his hand on Gibbs's shoulders once more, "You were right, there was a conspiracy and Kate really was still alive. She came to see you, she admitted that,"

"When?" Gibbs croaked, "In the hospital? Where there was no recording of her coming in to see me?! When I 'heard' a noise at my front door?! She's DEAD!! I was at her funeral!! I was there when she was SHOT DEAD!!! There is no coming back from that! YOU did the autopsy!!" Gibbs yelled as the nurse went to get a sedative

"Jethro, we can explain," Ducky insisted, trying to be heard over Gibbs's yelling, "I didn't do the autopsy, there was no autopsy, we – "

"Dammit! She is gone! Dead! D! E! A! D! DEAD!! I accept that now! Okay?! I was wrong! Hallucinating! You said it yourself, a mix between drugs and stress!" Gibbs yelled as the nurse quickly slipped the sedative into Gibbs's IV line

"Hey, what are you doing!" Gibbs shouted, trying to pull his arm away. Tony sensing that Gibbs would do that had already stepped forward to help restrain him

As the nurse finished administering the drug, Gibbs asked her, "What the hell was that? What did you do?"

"Just gave you something to help you relax," the nurse replied

"But I don't… need help… relaxing," Gibbs responded, starting to feel the effects of the drug

The last thing Gibbs saw before he succumbed to the effects of the drug was Ducky and Tony's worried faces looking back at him.

* * *

That's it for this chapter! Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think! 


	24. Chapter 24

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN; THankyou for all the reviews! I really appreciate them! They keep my creative juices flowing

I know this chapter is a bit short, but I couldn't resist stopping it here. the thought just kinda came to me when I was in the middle of the scene, so I thought, eh, why not? anyways, i'll try to update again within the next few days, try not to keep you in suspence for too long, eh?

* * *

Gibbs groaned and partially opened his eyes, trying to figure out if he was in friendly territory. The smells and sights he saw told him he was in hospital. It took his a moment or two to remember why he was in there.

"Kate," Gibbs mumbled to himself, feeling sadness wash over him

As if on cue, Kate walked into the room and smiled at him, "Hey,"

Gibbs took a deep breath as his heart began to beat faster, "Kate?"

Kate smiled and stepped closer to the bed, "How are you doing? The doctors are worried about you,"

"No," Gibbs said, shaking his head before closing his eyes and putting his hands up to hold his head, "I-I'm hallucinating… you… you're dead, I killed you," Gibbs let out a sob, "It's all my fault,"

"Jethro," Kate said quickly, sitting on the side of his bed and touching his arm, "No, I'm real, I'm alive…can you feel me touching your arm? This is real,"

"No it isn't," Gibbs replied, sobbing again, "We …when I was hallucinating, we kissed…I felt your lips on mine…I thought that was real," Gibbs paused and shook his head, still keeping his eyes clenched together, "But it wasn't. None of it was… you're dead,"

"Hey," Kate said softly, tugging on his arm

Gibbs winced and tugged his arm back as pain shot up his arm and to his shoulder; he couldn't suppress the cry of pain

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kate said quickly, noting the cast over the majority of his hand and up to his elbow, "I just…I wanted to hold your hand,"

Gibbs sniffed and swallowed past the lump in his throat, then brought his other arm down and looked at Kate.

"Jethro," Kate tried again, "When we kissed, I was there, that was real – "

"Well of course you would try to convince me of that, so would my hallucinations," Gibbs interrupted, "Cause what I want is what I project to you,"

"Yes, I guess that's true," Kate replied

Gibbs sniffed and let out a sob, "And how could you convince me that I'm not hallucinating you now?"

Kate frowned, "I don't know, I can't,"

Gibbs took a deep breath as a tear fell down his cheeks and was about to say something when he heard a noise at the door. When he looked up, he saw Kate enter the room, with a concerned expression on her face.

"Hey," Kate said, "Who are you talking to?"

Gibbs frowned and looked back to the Kate sitting on the side of his bed, then back to the Kate who'd just walked in, then answered, "You… ?"

* * *

THat's it for this chapter folks! Hope you liked it and are thoroughly confused...like me, no idea where to take it from this scene... Please review! Next chapter should be up in a few days... (Hopefully :-) ) 


	25. Chapter 25

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou for the reviews

as promised...the next chapter of the fic :-)

* * *

Gibbs scrubbed at his face and looked blankly at the two Kates looking back at him.

The Kate who had just walked in frowned, but calmly said, "Ducky mentioned before that you had been hallucinating,"

Gibbs's face took on a pained expression and his voice betrayed the distress he was feeling, "But I don't know what's real anymore. I mean, y-you're dead…both of you, and yet I'm still seeing you,"

"I never died, Jethro, we've been over this," the Kate at his bedside told him

"That's a natural reaction to stress, Gibbs," the Kate who'd just walked in responded at the same time

Gibbs closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths, "Look, just leave, both of you, I don't have enough headspace for this at the moment,"

The Kate who'd just walked in nodded, saying, "Okay, but I'll be in later to check on you,"

"Jethro, I didn't leave you when Lenny and Jenny were torturing you, I'm not about to leave you now," the Kate sitting on the side of his bed replied at the same time

Gibbs gave a weak grin to the Kate at his bedside and said, "Well, that'd make you an hallucination, because Kate wasn't really there,"

With that the Kate at his bedside disappeared, making Gibbs sigh with relief.

The other Kate had turned around and was watching Gibbs with concern, "Did you want me to send in a nurse?"

"What for?" Gibbs asked

"Well… I don't know, are you in pain?" she asked

Gibbs frowned and sat up straighter, "Kate, how did you visit me in the hospital the first time? Without getting caught on the security tapes,"

Kate walked forward, with a frown, and replied, "Gibbs, I didn't visit you in the hospital. I rang your doorbell and led you to an alley. That's the only time I visited you, it was too dangerous,"

"Where did you go?" Gibbs asked quietly, still not sure if he was still hallucinating, "After we thought you died. And why couldn't you tell us?"

Kate sighed and sat on his bed, "Are you sure you want me to explain this all now? It's a long story,"

Gibbs studied her face for a while, before saying, "I-I'm not hallucinating am I?"

Kate shook her head, responding, "But wouldn't I say that if you were?"

"Then… you….you're not dead?" Gibbs asked, frowning

"No," Kate responded, then proceeded to tell him what had happened and the following cover up, "…then I got a phone call, and it was Tony and everybody. They told me what was going on and that you'd been kidnapped,"

Gibbs was silent for a while before eventually responding, "You know, I looked for so long to try to prove you were still alive. Everybody at work thought I was insane, except for Jenny. I eventually found a few pieces but didn't know how they all fit together and there were bits I couldn't figure out,"

"Well, you know now," Kate replied

Gibbs smiled, "So, um, when we were in that alley, you said that you…liked me too,"

Kate smiled too, then embraced him in a hug and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, "No, I said that I loved you,"

The moment was interrupted when a nurse walked in and took his blood pressure and checked his stats.

"The doctor will be in shortly," the nurse told him, before walking out

Gibbs nodded before looking back at Kate, "Now, where were we?"

Kate grinned and held his uninjured hand in hers, "I was about to tell you that you better get better soon,"

"Nah, I'm sure we were past that," Gibbs responded, "You know, you were the only thing that kept me alive when I was in that warehouse?"

"You wouldn't have given up anyway," Kate assured him as Ducky walked in

"Jethro, the nurse told me you were awake," Ducky said as he came in, assessing Gibbs's situation to see if there was going to be a repeat performance of the last time he'd come to visit his friend

Gibbs smiled at him, announcing with happiness, "Duck, Kate's alive,"

Ducky smiled back, "Yes, I can see that,"

"I was right," Gibbs continued

"Indeed," Ducky responded, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Good," Gibbs answered, then smiled at Kate

"Jethro, we're not going to think any less of you for telling the truth," Ducky chastised

Gibbs frowned slightly, "I am telling the truth,"

Ducky sighed and asked Kate if she could leave the two men alone for a while, then asked Gibbs again.

Gibbs sighed, then scrubbed at his face, "I'm just trying to enjoy this whilst it lasts. Cause I know when I wake up, I'm going to be back in the warehouse,"

"You think you're dreaming?" Ducky asked

"Well, yeah, Kate's alive and she loves me," Gibbs responded, "And right now, the line between reality and fiction is more than blurred. The amount of drugs they're pumping into me," Gibbs shook his head, "…and the torture…Ask Kate, she can tell you I was hallucinating her before she walked in – assuming she walked in, and assuming I'm actually talking to you," Gibbs paused, "This is all about to disappear and Lenny's gonna wake me up with a bucket of cold reality,"

"You believe that?" Ducky asked

"How can I not? You guys think I've lost it, you probably don't even know I'm missing from the loony bin. And you definitely don't know where I am, nobody does. I'm gonna die here," Gibbs answered

"Jethro, we found you. Lenny and Jenny were killed when we infiltrated the warehouse. Tony rode with you in the ambulance as you were rushed to hospital," Ducky told him

"No, I dreamt that" Gibbs replied, "Didn't actually happen, I didn't need their drugs to make myself believe there'd been a rescue attempt. Would've been nice, but…"

"Jethro – " Ducky started

"Duck, nothings changed," Gibbs interrupted, "Kate's still dead, I still killed her…I'm still going to die, you guys aren't gonna find me,"

"Jethro, Jenny was a good agent, but she was never very good at covering her tracks, you know that, you worked with her," Ducky told him

Gibbs nodded, "That's how the French found us, never let her live down that mistake,"

"And you handpicked you're team, do you have no faith in their abilities to find you?" Ducky asked

"They're the best of the best," Gibbs agreed, "And they work together better than any team I know,"

"So why do you believe they didn't find you and rescue you?" Ducky asked

Gibbs shook his head, "I just don't know, Duck,"

"You're not convinced?" Ducky asked

"Give me a few weeks, hopefully something will sink in. Like I said, I'm just gonna try to enjoy this whilst it lasts," Gibbs responded

* * *

That's it for this chapter! Hope you liked it! Please review! They make me write faster! Not sure how many more chapters there is left of this fic, but I think it's near the end... :( 


	26. Chapter 26

**Death Of A Conspiracy**

AN: Thankyou for the reviews

as promised...the next chapter of the fic :-)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"If you didn't trust your senses, how would you know what is real and what is imagined?" Tony asked as Abby sat in the seat across from him in the cafeteria

"It'd be difficult. You'd have to be told something you don't know I guess, but even then you'd think you were just making it up. Like when Gibbs was hallucinating, he may not have known why Kate was made to look like she'd died, but have no idea why. You could tell him why. But if he thought he was still hallucinating, he'd think he was making those reasons up," Abby replied

"Yeah, but there's gotta be a way we can prove to him that this is real," Tony said, exasperated, "How would you be able to tell?"

"I don't know. Maybe tell me something that's inconsistent with my beliefs. I mean, but something that would almost definitely make me believe something is real is to have a night full of hot sex," Abby responded

Tony smirked, "Abs, Gibbs would probably think he's just having a wet dream,"

"Do you think the man would allow himself ... you know, I'm not even going to go down that path," Abby replied, "He has to decide for himself that this is real, we can't do that for him,"

"Yeah, I guess," Tony responded, taking a bite from his cheeseburger

"Hey guys," Kate said as she sat down with her lunch, "What'd I miss?"

"Abby thinks you need to fuck Gibbs through the mattress to make him believe this is real," Tony replied

"I did not say that!" Abby exclaimed, punching Tony, then turning to Kate, "Would I say that?"

Kate grinned, "Well...maybe not like that, but yes,"

Abby grinned in return, "Yeah well, he does,"

"So, Katie, who was the guy who answered your phone when Ziva rang?" Tony asked

"John was there purely to help me keep my cover. He was supposed to be my 'husband'" Kate responded

"Your husband, Kate?" Tony asked, "You guys share a bed?"

"Tony!" Kate exclaimed, "No, we didn't,"

"What about when friends came around?" Tony asked

"Or stayed over?" Abby added

"I would sleep in the bed, and John slept on the floor - same room," Kate replied

"So, there was nothing going on between you guys?" Abby asked

"Nope. Strictly professional," Kate responded

Tony winced, "Still, what was it? Sixteen months? That's a long time to be 'married'. I mean, come on Kate, you're not a saint,"

Kate sighed, "Okay, so a few times we fell into bed with each other. But we both knew it was nothing more than....itching a scratch,"

"A few times?" Abby asked

"Four," Kate replied, "We didn't know how long I was going to be in protective custody, how long we were going to have to maintain cover, before I could come home again,"

"He know it's over now?" Tony asked

"Probably," Kate answered

"Is he going to expect more from you?" Tony asked

"Tony," Kate said exasperated

"Kate," Tony deadpanned

"I don't know, I don't think so," Kate replied

"If he does, and he gives you trouble, I'll teach him a few lessons about messing with mine," Tony responded

Kate smiled, "Tony...thanks,"

"Semper fi, Kate," Tony answered with a smile

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gibbs sighed and stared at the ceiling. His body was calling him back to sleep, but he didn't want to give in to it. He knew that if he fell asleep now, when he woke up again he'd still be in the warehouse.

There was something strange about this particular dream though. Usually when he was in a hospital, he'd be on so many pain killers and other drugs that he wouldn't feel anything. And given also that this was a dream, he found it strange that he was in fact, in a lot of pain. Nothing that would compare with how much pain he would be in when he woke in the warehouse, but enough to make him confused.

Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment, then suddenly opened them again when he felt himself start to drift off. He sat up, trying to ignore the pain in his ribs. But sitting up had its own set of problems, his head began spinning and he felt bile rise in his throat.

"Ahhh," he whimpered, trying to breathe evenly and make the feeling go away, unsuccessfully.

He turned to his side as he gave in to the urge to throw up. He coughed a few times once he'd finished and wiped his arm across his mouth. Laying back against the bed, he began sobbing. He hated being sick, he always had. But what he hated more was the fact that he knew the wasn't even the half of it. Hell, if he was dreaming that he was throwing up because of nausea and the pain, then he was probably far worse of back in the warehouse.

Weakly, he grappled for the call button, crying out when he realized that the hand he was trying to use, was injured. Sobbing uncontrollably now, he pulled his arm back and cradled it, trying to dull the pain shooting through his hand.

Sniffling, he brought his knees up to his chest and curled himself into a ball. He felt himself start to fade, the darkness pulling at him. He tried to fight it, but he was worn out from throwing up and trying to stay awake. With a sigh, he let himself be carried off into the warm fuzziness.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, so I know I haven't updated in like, forever, but I got really busy. I'm gonna try to finish this fic, then go on with the others that are incomplete - I don't like leaving things half finished. So hang in there, and eventually these stories will come to a satisfying end. Not sure how many more chapters there is left of this fic, but I think it's near the end...

So, that's it for this chapter! Hope you liked it! Please review!


	27. Chapter 27

Death Of A Conspiracy

AN: Thankyou for the reviews

as promised...the next chapter of the fic :-)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gibbs woke suddenly, feeling icy cold water rush down his body. He coughed and tried to stop the shudders wracking through his body.

"Still won't tell me what I want to know?" Lenny asked as he set the bucket on the ground and immediately began filling it up again for when he'd need it again, which would be soon - Gibbs didn't think he'd be conscious for very long. "Jenny won't be happy with that, she likes answers,"

"Well... I like.... long walks on the beach," Gibbs answered between chattering teeth and panting breaths, "Doesn't mean...I'll get it,"

Lenny laughed, "I like you, Gibbs. If the circumstances were different, I'm sure we'd be friends. You still have a sense of humour, it shows courage, strength,"

Lenny turned off the tap and returned the bucket to its place beside Gibbs's chair, "But circumstances are as they are, and you are still not answering my questions - "

"I've answered all ...your questions," Gibbs replied, bitting his lip as the freezing cold made him shudder so violently that he was in danger of tipping the chair over

Lenny smiled, "Indeed, but you haven't answered my questions truthfully. Up for round ...what is it now? Eight? Nine?"

" 'leven," Gibbs responded

"Eleven? Wow, we've come a long way," Lenny replied with a genuine amazement in his voice, "That other dose of drugs should be setting in about... now, that should make things fun,"

Gibbs just glared at Lenny in reply. He'd already started feeling the effects of Lenny's cocktail working through his system and it was making everything more bizarre than it was before.

"Okay, let's get this show back on the road," Lenny said, picking up the hammer again and slamming it down..

"NOOOOOO!!!!!" Gibbs screamed, sitting bolt upright. He started scooting backwards before he knew what was going on.

"Jethro!" Ducky called, going to Gibbs's side

"No! Get away from me! Leave me alone!" Gibbs yelled, looking around wildly and breathing erratically

"Jethro, you're in hospital. You're safe, you're safe. Nobody is going to hurt you in here," Ducky tried to calm him

Gibbs took a few shuddering breaths and looked around the room a few times to find that what Ducky said was true, he was in a hospital. Before he knew it, his eyes were filling with tears and he was choking back sobs.

"Jethro..." Ducky said soothingly

"I'm sorry, Duck," Gibbs responded, swiping at his tears with his good hand, "I - "

"You don't need to apologize," Ducky replied

That seemed to choke him up more, making him feel weak, "I'm sorry, I don't .... and I...."

"It's okay," Ducky soothed

Gibbs sniffed and let out another sob, "I don't even know what's real anymore. Whenever I fall asleep hrere, I'm back there, and whenever I lose consciousness there, I'm back here. It's a cycle and I don't know where it begins, and I don't wanna go to sleep because I'm afraid of being back there,"

"I understand," Ducky replied, "The brain is an astounding construction. Unlike many people would have us think, you cannot simply pinch yourself to prove whether or not you are awake, because more often than not, you would feel pain from the pinch in your dream in any case. And not to mention that nobody can tell you this is real, because people would be telling you that in your dreamlike state as well. In the famous words of Rene Descartes, Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore I am,"

Gibbs stifled a laugh, and soon found himself attempting to smile, "Well, there's one big point for this being the reality. Even my dreams of you never speak that much,"

"You dream of me? Jethro, is there something you're not telling me?" Ducky asked, good-naturedly, smiling at a nurse as she came in to repair Gibbs's IV, which had become disconnected when he'd become distressed

"No, well yes, but no. You have been in some of my dreams....but not like that. I'd dream of a case we're working and you would be there too... you know what I mean," Gibbs answered

"Mmm, quite," Ducky said

"Boss, you're awake," Tony announced as he walked into the room with Kate and Abby in tow, "We're not gonna have a repeat of what happened last time I was in here, are we?"

"What happened last time?" Gibbs asked, looking confused

"Ah..nothing," Tony responded, not wanting to kill the moment

"Gibbs, I was so worried about you!" Abby exclaimed, pushing past Tony and giving Gibbs a big hug, "Not as much as Kate, of course,"

Gibbs grinned and looked past Abby at Kate, who was blushing slightly, "Is that right, Kate?"

"I think we've been over this, Gibbs," Kate responded

"Mmm, maybe not enough," Tony interrupted

"Oh, I don't think that's any of your business, Tony," Kate responded

"Actually, it became my business when you joined the team," Tony replied, "It became my business to know your business,"

"So that's why you always went through my desk and answered my phone?" Kate asked in mock-angriness

"Exactly!" Tony exclaimed, then said with a smirk, "What? You think I did that stuff because I had a genuine interest in what you were up to? That I didn't have enough going on in my life so I had to live through yours?"

Gibbs sat back and let the familiar banter wash over him, he felt that he was running out of energy anyway and he'd started losing track of the conversation some time ago. He looked at the members of the group and settled on Kate's face, then realized she had asked him something.

"Huh?" he asked eloquently

"I asked what you thought of Tony's new girlfriend," Kate repeated

Gibbs frowned and blinked slowly, trying to comprehend what they were asking and trying to figure out the answer.

"Jethro?" Ducky asked

Gibbs turned his attention to Ducky, wondering why Ducky's voice had sounded distorted. Gibbs swallowed and blinked again, "I don't feel so..." then everything was going black

_______________________________________________________________

Okay, so I know I haven't updated in like, forever, but I got really busy. I'm gonna try to finish this fic, then go on with the others that are incomplete - I don't like leaving things half finished. So hang in there, and eventually these stories will come to a satisfying end. Not sure how many more chapters there is left of this fic, but I think it's near the end...

So, that's it for this chapter! Hope you liked it! Please review!


	28. Chapter 28

Death Of A Conspiracy

AN: Thankyou for the reviews

again sorry for the huge delay, i'll eventually get this one finished :)

as promised...the next chapter of the fic :-)

* * *

Suddenly, Gibbs's heart monitory started screaming and Gibbs collapsed back against the bed as his body started making random, jerky movements. Ducky rushed forwards and started doing what he could to help the medical team before they arrived.

"Come on guys, I think we'd better leave, give the doctors and nurses some space," Tony told Abby and Kate, leading them from the room

As they got outside, a team of medical personnel rushed past them and into the room.

"He's gonna be okay, isn't he?" Abby asked, "He has to be. We've only just found him and he can't just - "

"Abby," Tony said abruptly, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Deep, calm, even breaths, okay?"

"But, he - "

"Abby," Tony interrupted her again, massaging her shoulders with his hands

"Deep, even breaths, okay, got it," Abby responded

"Good," Tony replied, looking up when Ducky came out of the room, "Well?"

Ducky shook his head and held the door open as the medical team quickly came out of the room, wheeling Gibbs's bed

"What happened?" Kate asked

"He had a seizure, Kate. The doctors think he's haemorrhaging into his brain, they're preparing theatre for him as we speak," Ducky replied, running behind the team as they made their way down the corridor

"What? I don't understand," Kate responded, running alongside

"I'll explain later, Kate, keep Tony and Abby company and keep Abby calm. I'll be back with updates," Ducky replied shortly

Kate stopped running and watched Ducky run with the medical team down the corridor. She sighed and slowly turned around, heading back to Abby and Tony.

"He'll be okay," Tony told her, putting his hand on her shoulder

Kate sighed and nodded, "He better be. I didn't come back to watch him slip away from me,"

Tony just rubbed her shoulder and looked back down the corridor, praying that everything would be okay.

* * *

Gibbs was falling. It felt like he'd been falling for years and there was no end in sight. He gasped, feeling like there was no air in the void he was falling down. Then suddenly, he stopped falling.

He looked around and found himself on a familiar beach, the beach he'd ridden horses with Shannon and Kelly. Taking a few deep breaths, he looked around, searching for them, but they were nowhere to be found.

Frowning, he walked along the beach, trying to find his lost loved ones. Eventually he came across the fallen tree, where in his darkest moments, he'd almost ended it all. Gibbs closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to ignore the emotions swarming beneath the surface.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Kate sitting on the fallen tree, staring at the sand. Gibbs widened his eyes, Kate had a gun in her hands and she started playing with it, the business end of the gun pointing at her.

"Nnnnnoooooooooooooo!" Gibbs screamed, but no sound came out.

He ran towards her as she cocked the gun. As he breathed in to scream out again, he saw her finger switch on the trigger, he closed his eyes and heard a loud bang.

Gibbs fell to the ground and put his face in his hands and began sobbing. This was all his fault. Nothing would ever be the same again. Sniffling, he opened his eyes and looked towards the tree, but instead he saw four gravestones. Frowning now, he slowly stood up and approached the gravestones.

He read the names. Special Agent Timothy McGee, Special Agent Caitlyn Todd, Doctor Donald Mallard and Abigail Scuito.

"You killed them, you know, each and every one of them," a voice said from behind him

Gibbs turned around and found Tony and Ziva pointing guns at him, "What's going on?"

"They all died in your hunt to find and kill my half-brother, some would say necessary sacrifices in this game," Ziva explained to him

"But this has gone on long enough," Tony added

"You need to be put down," Ziva added, the two of them seeming to work in perfect harmony with each other

"Aren't you afraid of getting caught," Gibbs responded desperately, he knew this moment was coming

"No, I will cover for them, like I've covered for you in the past," Jenny said, stepping out from behind a tree, then she turned to Tony and Ziva, "Do it now, we don't have long,"

"Let me do this," Tony asked Ziva, "I've wanted to do it for a long time,"

Ziva gave a nod and stepped back. Tony drew his gun up further and said, "See you in hell, boss," then he fired his weapon.

* * *

"We're losing him!" a nurse called over the screaming machines, reading the monitors, "Pulse is fifty and dropping fast,"

One of the doctors called orders for more medications and continued pressing down on Gibbs's chest, whilst another doctor charged the defribrillator. The doctor stepped forward, "Clear!" he shouted and put the paddles to Gibbs's chest.

The defribrilator discharged and began winding up again as Gibbs's body convulsed but his heart didn't go back into a normal rhythm. "Charge to 300!" the doctor shouted, glancing at the clock, they had around two or three more minutes before he'd have to call it. He closed his eyes and sent a quick prayer up that this patient would live to see another day.

He stepped forward again, shouting "Clear!" then put the paddles on Gibbs's chest. Gibbs's body convulsed again, but still nothing happened. "Charge to 300!" the doctor shouted again, with a growl. "Come on, come on, come on," he chanted to himself, glancing at the clock again.

Again he stepped forward and shouted, "Clear!"

* * *

So, that's it for this chapter! Hope you liked it! Please review!


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